Pokemon New World Order : All of the Above
by O'aka XXIII
Summary: Set roughly 30 years after the events of GSC. Lappe and Jack leave their cozy home and lazy lifestyles in Viridian and head off to get the minimum of one badge that is required of all the Kanto region's youth. After entering Viridian Forest, they're confronted by the FKPR - a radical terrorist group bent on freeing Pokemon. Join them as they fight against the FKPR, Pokerus, and ZR.
1. Chapter 1

"Tensions rise in the Kanto region as debates on Pokemon ethics escalate. At a meeting held earlier this evening, Professor Oak of Pallet Town, Nurse Joy of the National Center for Pokemon, and Lance of the Elite Four met with the spokesman of the Freed Kanto Pokemon Republic, Mewtwo, his adviser Golduck and bodyguard Nidoking to cover topics relating to what rights, if any, Pokemon should hold before and after their defeat and capture. Mewtwo acknowledged the fact that it is in both human and Pokemon DNA to fight each other and accept the greater power between the two of them. Mewtwo stated that this has concept has been around since the beginning of time, and that even his informant acknowledged the fact that at the beginning there existed a man who had even forced the great and powerful Arceus to bow before him. However, that did not stop the spokesmon from bringing up blueprints to the Professor pertaining to the trace amounts of toxins retained in Pokeballs after their creation that have been proven to have a brainwashing effect on contacted Pokemon. Moments later, Mewtwo accused the Professor as well as Ms. Joy of criminal acts that paralleled those of kidnapping and cockfighting and stated that if their own children, siblings and friends were in the position of its fellow Pokemon then these inhumane acts would be ended immediately and indefinitely. The professor then proceeded to state that while his knowledge on the beginning of the universe was lacking - due to not having the same resources as the Pokemon - that there were indeed documents relating to the usage and taming of Pokemon dating back at the very least a thousand years. He then followed up with a reminder to the Pokemon, that at one point during that thousand year span there were at least three instances lasting roughly fifty years each in which the Pokemon had retained their freedom, lived peacefully with and at some points even ruled over the humans themselves. Furthermore-"

Jack turned the volume dial on the television to zero and then sat back in his bean bag chair.

"This is getting to be ridiculous," he began, letting out a deep sigh and lighting up a cigarette, "they'll just go round and round in circles for months until one of them finally gets pissed off enough to lash out at the other. They should just put the rulers away and figure their shit out like Hoenn did."

"True that my friend," the little blue Pokemon sat in the bean bag beside Jack and lit up a cigarette of his own, "if only the man wasn't such an eccentric then maybe other regions would take it more seriously. It's just a shame that they had to wake Groudon and Kyogre in order to split open the fuckin' earth just so they could compromise and make a new safe haven for Pokemon. It's just a question of how long it will last really. There's no telling how many eccentrics there are out there that feel Pokemon are just tools or pets. Eventually some ill-willed human will enter that island and set off a chain of events that will lead to the greatest tragedy this world has ever seen."

The little blue Pokemon took a deep puff on the cigarette and then blew three consecutive smoke rings as he shook his head. Jack stared at the Pokemon with his eyebrow raised, the cherry of his own cigarette falling out with the ash as listened to the Pokemon's rant.

"Lappe, have I ever told you that I think you were an Alakazam in your past life? You're just like... way too smart for a Totodile."

"The fuck you say? I don't believe in all that reincarnation bullshit. There's just us and Arceus man. We have our God, our paradise and hell, and you have yours. Man, I just really don't even care about it all, never really have either. It's all real obvious for us Pokemon, you humans are just too naive to realize it. You've all deadened your instincts and that's one of the main reasons we've stopped respectin' y'all. The only real way to save either one of our species anymore is to eradicate the other and that's that. Don't get me wrong, I like you man, I enjoy your company and you treat me like an equal at least. But other humans out there wouldn't see it the same, nor do the other Totodiles, which is the reason I left y'know? Everyone's so consumed with the idea of fighting one another that they don't even really take the time to get to know anyone. Yeah, sure, you can fight someone and learn about them and shit, get to know them and garner a bond from respect out of your combat prowess... but that's just not me man. That's just not me. That's why I can't stand watchin' this shit when Mewtwo fuckin' knows what's goin' to happen. For fuck's sake man, his board of advisers is made up of at least twenty Alakazam that we know about. That Golduck's just a God damn figurehead."

"Shit man," Jack shook his head. "Why don't you just go join the FKPR then if you feel so strongly about it?"

"Did you not just hear what I said? Man, I just don't care about it all. Like, at all. I'm fine livin' here with you and your mom dude. It's chill. Real chill. You got a nice jig y'know? I'm comfy, and don't really care to change shit yet."

"Right? Sucks man, but you know we gotta. That damned law about teenagers and all that. If you want to live comfy it'd be best to just move on now, then we can both be spared the trouble of having to leave this place y'know? Just like, go on a vision quest or somethin', come back in a few years and we can chill again. We just gotta miss the thirteen through fifteen startups and we'll be fine."

"Yeah, I could Jack. But man, much as I'd hate it and how much of a hypocrite it makes me sound, I just can't leave you like that. You and I both know you don't have any real aspirations in life, so maybe just this once, a journey would be good for you. We can do your vision quest instead of mine, and maybe somewhere along the way I'll figure my own shit out too ya feel? And it's not like we have to go far or anything. The rule is just one badge after all, right?"

"Yeah, one badge. That's all we have to get to be able to come back home and get comfy again."

The show that was on television cuts to a commercial which features Mewtwo surrounded by the FKPR, assumedly a call for all Pokemon who grow weary of their internment with the humans. Subtitles flash up on the screen in a language that only the Pokemon can understand and Lappe sighs as he gets up from his bean bag. A knock comes from the door to the duo's room and then it slowly opens, revealing a woman in her early thirties.

"Jack, it's time. I've got your bag packed and everything. You should go ahead and put Lappe back in his ball before you head out."

"You know Lappe doesn't have a ball Mom. He's his own Pokemon. He has his free will, he has his dignity. I'm not going to force him into one of those things."

"You watch too many of those T.V. shows Jack. If you don't put him in a ball he'll be likely to run away and then what? What if he leaves in the middle of a battle? Do you want to be impaled by a Tauros or ripped in half by a Machoke?"

Jack sighed as he got up out of his bean bag chair. He was going to miss the place. Taking one final look around the room, he pushed by his Mother and headed out the hallway. "Don't worry about it," he whispered as his shoulder brushed against hers. "If that happens, then you'll just get to tell me you told me so. One less person to worry about too. I'm going now. I'll see you in a few months Mom."

The woman teared up as her son made his way down the hallway and to the front door. The Totodile followed close behind, snapping his jaws at the woman as he went between her legs.

"Be careful," she whimpered as the tears streamed down her face.

Jack grabbed his backpack and placed Totodile in it, pulling the drawstrings close around him before slinging it over his shoulder. The boy pushed the door open and made his way out into the world, beginning a journey all his own.


	2. Chapter 2

The duo walked through Viridian City, passing by and waving to the elderly and young as they made their way into the forest. In the past, Viridian was well known as being a sort of retirement place for ex-trainers in tandem with Pallet town. With the last and strongest of the region's eight gyms being located here as well as the road to the Pokemon League, it wasn't hard to imagine why. But after the laws were passed that forced young teens to set off on their journeys so long as they already had a Pokemon, Viridian began to blossom as a starting point for all people interested in the life of a trainer. The Viridian preschool was often visited by Professor Oak as well as a few notable trainers who had made it to the Pokemon League and taken the challenge.

Many of the trainers who had retired here had Pokemon strong enough that they could take on any challenge thrown their way, hence the lack of an actual police force in the city. Viridian was small, but it was rapidly growing and expanding. In order to keep up with the growth, the Mayor had funded the building of a battle complex where the guardians of the city could go to practice with the young as well as each other so that they wouldn't grow rusty. Jack had never been himself, seeing as how he lacked an actual 'tamed' Pokemon to enter with, but the people of the city never looked down on him for it. Many of them understood the bond that he and Lappe shared, and at times would even express their regret for not having been able to form bonds more like his in their youth. Nobody here ever really talked about the news, as relatable as it was for them. Most just didn't seem to really care for one reason or the other. Maybe they were just tired of always having to fight against something. Either way, they were happy to gather and see the trainer off on his journey regardless of how he or they truly felt about it.

As the two neared the forest and the sounds of the village faded into the background, the appearance of wild Pokemon increased exponentially. It was as if they'd stepped into another world. There were no more people out here. Buildings were replaced with trees which reached to the sky, and itchy grass which tickled the boy's thighs. Bug-type Pokemon crawled up and down trees, camouflaging themselves with the leaves and bark. Beedrill and Butterfree flew overhead as their brethren hatched from their cocoons and rose into the skies with them. The beauty of the world began to overwhelm Jack, but with the sense of awe there also came stressful thoughts and the feeling that at any moment they could be attacked by these overwhelming numbers of Pokemon. He remembered one lecture that the Professor had given about the strengths and weaknesses of the Bug-types. While not all that powerful individually, they traveled in swarms that at times reached into the hundreds and could easily overpower any single Pokemon.

"Hey man, don't worry about them. They won't attack unless I like, start freaking out or something." Totodile patted Jack's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since you never actually put me into a ball I don't have that 'domesticated scent' that sets them off so often. It's some kind of chemical or side effect of the hypnotism that occurs when we're captured in Pokeballs. The reason that people see Bug Pokemon as so violent is because of these chemicals. Most Pokemon aren't educated due to their lack of rights, which means they never learn about these chemicals and how to discern between them and the pheromones emitted by a Pokemon attempting to impede on their territory. Due to our lack of rights, we have to rely on experienced family members and friends to educate us on the ways that the world works. Bug Pokemon live relatively short lives compared to other types, which means that there's less elderly Pokemon to educate them on the difference in these scents as well. Take me for example, my father was a tamed Pokemon, but he was tamed back when people still used Apricorns to make balls naturally instead of using the mass produced ones. He could discern between the aromas of an enraged wild Pokemon and that of his companions who were captured with one of those mass produced balls. Some Pokemon live much longer lives which lets them pass on more information, while others live for days at a time which ensures they never learn or pass on a single thing."

"And I suppose you think that you're different from all the others, don't you?" A voice called out from above the trees, scattering the hordes of bug Pokemon as it did.

"Who's out there?" Jack's head spun as if on a swivel as he and Lappe searched for the source of the voice.

A massive shadow formed over the two as a Pokemon sped towards them in a nose dive. Just narrowly missing the trainer, the Pokemon leveled out and flew parallel with the ground as it spun around a tree off on the distance and disappeared.

"W-what is that?" Jack muttered under his breath as he stared, mesmerized, into the Pokemon's piercing red eyes.

Stepping out from its cover in the underbrush, the Pokemon fanned its wings out wide showing off its plumage in its fullest glory.

"I am West, the Pidgeotto! I am a free bird, un-caged and with un-clipped wings I fly high above all others of my kind! This is why I was noticed by my master, Mewtwo and brought into the FKPR. I fly high in the skies and gather information from all places for my leader, but as I was flying over you two I couldn't help but overhear this traitorous hypocrite speak."

"Dude I'm neither traitor nor a hypocrite, I'm just me doing my own thing. I don't exactly care about the federation or whatever, so if you don't mind moving out of the way we're going to continue on our merry little way so we can get back to chilling at home soon."

"Your own thing? Blasphemous. You're merely parading around as if you have a will of your own. If your trainer was attacked, you would be forced to jump in and protect him. To this, I will happily demonstrate."

West began to flap his wings, throwing up mighty gusts of wind at Jack as he shielded his face and backed up against a nearby tree. Incisions began to form along the trunk of the tree starting from the top and moving down towards the boy's head. Branches flew off in every which direction and leaves were turned to dust with the piercing blades of wind being thrown at the trainer. Lappe jumped up and shook his head in a circular motion as bubbles spewed forth from it, colliding with the blades of wind and exploding midair.

"Do you see? Due to your inability to see your trainer harmed, you have been proven to be domesticated! You have no more free will than those of our brothers and sisters who have been trapped inside those balls by these monsters and you're a fool to think otherwise! Now come with me my Totodile, join our cause and be truly free once more!"

Lappe looked up at Jack and the incisions in the tree which had come within inches of scalping the boy. The Pokemon shook his head and then stared back at the Pidgeotto with a frown on his face.

"You've got it all wrong West. The reason I protected Jack is because we're friends with a mutual understanding. It's not his perogative to steal anything from me or any other Pokemon. He knows and can comprehend how we feel, he understands what it's like to be forced into doing something… becoming something that you just can't stand! This journey wasn't his choice, and if we could help it then we'd both still just be sitting at home watching Sailor Gardevoir, Pokeformers, or even the news!"

"Then, it's worse than I had first thought." West moved forward, closing the distance between himself and the Totodile. "Not only are you domesticated, but you're not even a pet to him. All you are is a showpiece. You sit in his home, as much a 'wild Pokemon' as you can think and wait for his friends or parents to come in and gawk! He's thrilled at the thought of having tamed you so that you can't even realize the position that you're in!"

"That's enough!" Jack rushed up to the Pidgeotto and slammed his fist into the bird's chest, barely making the Pokemon flinch.

"What are you doing? You dare to have the aud-" West was cut off as his beak was filled with water from Lappe's mouth.

"Stay away from my friend!" The duo screamed out at the Pokemon before lashing out at the Pidgeotto once more with bubbles and fists.

West took a few steps back, caught off guard by the assault and irritated by the hindrance to his vision.

"So be it!" The Pokemon screamed out as he rose into the air, taking roost in a high up branch. "If you want to fight me, then continue to fight! There will be no turning back for you! Travel on, fulfill your petty quest and find me once you're no longer a simple nuisance!" The Pokemon plucked a feather from its wing and quickly snapped its neck in the direction of the forest's entrance. "Ratatta! Ratticate! Seal up the entrance! Ensure that there is no retreat for them. They've lost that privilege. If they both wish to continue this farce, then so be it."

From all over the forest, the rodent Pokemon jumped from the grass in which they were hiding and began to gnaw at the base of the trees which stood at the entrance of the woods. In a matter of seconds, a wall of felled trees formed in front of the forest's entrance ensuring that nobody could enter or leave until they were done away with.

"Your pain and suffering has only begun. From now, the only direction is forward. No longer will others perceive you as a wild Pokemon Lappe. I will ensure that all of Kanto knows of your treachery, and that every step that you take is filled with peril. Soon, you will beg me to forgive your insolence and to allow you into the Republic."

"And I'll still turn you down. I don't really know what you want out of me man, but closing up the entrance to this place was a real dick move y'know? What if there's like, a sick Pokemon or something in Pewter that needs to get through here or something?"

"That's not my problem any longer. I am returning now to my master with news of a traitorous Pokemon making his way to him. I am sure that Mewtwo will have a punishment set aside for you when you finally arrive."

"But I don't have any intention of heading to your base? I just really don't think you're picking up what I'm putting down. Maybe it's because we're not playing with the same amount of cards."

"That's enough out of you. Soon you will see the fruit of my labors. Soon, we will no longer be mocked by humans or Pokemon like you. Farewell, for now."

West rose high into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. The duo stared at the Pidgeotto as it flew away, both wondering what was wrong with Pokemon. Jack shook his head and lifted Lappe back onto his shoulder, allowing the Pokemon to retake its position in his bag. Soon after, the swarms of bugs returned to their formations and flew around peacefully. It was as if nothing had ever happened, but for the humans and this duo, it was only the beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the trip through the forest was, for the most part, quiet. For a while after West left, it was just Lappe and Jack. Many of the other Pokemon were still too afraid to come out of hiding, fearing for their short lives. There were a handful of trainers along the path to Pewter, but most were too worried about where all the bugs had scurried off to to pay the duo any attention.

"This city isn't set up too badly you know? It's git a kind of rustic charm to it. Compact and thought out in its design. With rocks all around you, it could get overwhelming without direct directions. You got the Poke center right at the entrance to town to make sure when your pals are hurt they can get healed right up, and a shop right next door to ensure they don't get hurt again and also to ensure the city's vitality." Jack rubbed one of the many boulders which made up the city's entry gate as he smiled. "Might not be such a bad place to retire to eventually, eh Lappe?"

"'s not my type'a place. Besides, can't we just take over your parents place once they retire and move away? It's comfortable there. We know people there and where everything is. There's no surprises back home, no worries about anything either. Let's just get on with this shit so we can get back."

Jack shrugged. "Guess you're right. Neither one of us are exactly the travelling type. It's not healthy to uproot trees I suppose. Anyways, I guess we should tell someone about what went on in the forest. We'll never get back home that way if nobody knows that there's a wall of fallen trees in there."

The doors to the Pokemon Center slid open as Jack approached them. A cool, purified air splashed against his face and he took in a deep breath. This was his first time coming in to a place like this, never having really had a reason to go into a Poke Center before now. Everything was white or a light shade of pink, and everything glistened as if it had just been waxed mere seconds before.

"Welcome!" The pink-haired nurse bowed to the boy as he entered from across the room. "This is Pewter City's Pokemon Center. Do your Pokemon need healing, or is there anything else that I can do for you today?"

"No, we don't really need healing. However, we did want to report a crime I guess? Well, I don't really know if it can be called a crime but… we were attacked by a Pidgeotto from the Republic and it kind of told a bunch of Rattata and Ratticate to tear down a handful of trees at the entrance from Viridian City. We were hoping to go home after taking the badge from this city, but since the path back is blocked now we were hoping to find someone able to get rid of the trees for us."

"Hmm, I see. Well for something like that it would be best to talk to Officer Jenny. She would know more about what to do in this situation than I do."

"Officer Jenny, huh? Guess that makes sense. I'm just not really used to having an actual police force in my city." Jack chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, blushing at his own ignorance. Of course they would have a police force, this wasn't a true retirement village like Viridian or Pewter. This was the beginning of most trainers journeys, it would only make sense to have police around to ensure that none of the buds would be nipped before they'd even had the chance to experience their lives.

"The police station is just outside and to the left. You'll most likely see an elderly lady tending to a large garden first. The station should be just beyond her."

Jack nodded as he turned around and headed back out the door that he'd come in from.

"Just outside and to the left there'll be an old lady and a garden…" the boy whispered to himself as he looked off in that direction. He felt around in his pocket for his cigarettes, but after failing to find them he realized that he had left them back in his room in Viridian. "Shit. Guess I'll just have to hold out hope that someone around here will let me borrow one."

"Really? You forgot the cigs? Here I thought we'd been preparing for this shit for months now. You were supposed to have been stockpiling them for this kind of situation." Lappe shook his head and then rested it on the boy's shoulder. "Guess I didn't teach you anything did I?"

"Yeah you did." Jack sighed as he started walking off towards the fenced off area which was full of flowers. "I learned a whole lot of bad habits from you."

"Bullshit. Smoking hasn't ever killed anyone."

"Maybe not Pokemon, but humans die all the time from it."

"That's just because you're all too weak willed. Go live in the wild for a while and nothing will be able to hurt you anymore."

"Yeah, just like that Pidgeotto didn't almost take off both of our heads."

"I had it under control though, didn't I? We're both still alive, and it seemed to be angriest with me anyways. I'd have gone first and then you wouldn't have even had time to worry about if you were going to die or not."

"Whatever man… anyways, we're here. Let's go tell Jenny about what happened. Maybe she's really strong and we'll be able to get back home right after we finish our business here."

"If she's a woman then I doubt it."

"You know, one of the first Pokemon trainers was actually a woman?"

"Oh really? Just goes to show how weak they are then. While everyone else is fighting with their own strength, they have to go off and enlist the aid of others."

"I'll have you know that not all women are as weak as you think mister!" An elderly lady in the garden next door to where the two were bickering called out at the Pokemon. "Back in my day, we had to wrangle Pokemon with our bare hands. We didn't have these confounded Pokeballs to fall back on like you kids today!"

"Oh jeez, let's just go inside and get this over with or we'll be stuck here for days." Jack tucked his chin and pressed Lappe's head back into his backpack as he walked into the station.

"What can I do for you?" A light-blue haired woman smiled as she spoke to the young trainer standing in front of her. Her navy blue outfit stood out against the the gray of the stone surrounding her, and the merits on her chest shone brilliantly.

"There was uh, there was a uh…" Jack stuttered as he blushed, struck by the attractiveness of the woman in front of him.

Lappe struggled free from the bag which he had been pushed back down into and then stood on top of Jack's head, taking the lead. "There was an attack in Viridian Forest. A Pidgeotto belonging to the Republic ordered a small army of Ratatta and Raticate to tear down the trees at the Viridian entrance and now we can't get home."

"Ah I see," the Officer nodded as she picked up her phone. "I don't think there's anyone with enough strength in this area to get rid of the trees, so I'll call the other Jennys and see if they have seen any trainers strong enough to help out. In the meantime, you two should take on the Pewter gym before Brock leaves."

"Before he… leaves? What do you mean?" Jack raised one of his eyebrows and took a step back towards the door.

"Well, he was just recently accepted into the Elite four, so he won't be in this city for much longer. His little brother is supposed to be taking over for him, but if you want a real gym experience then I suggest taking on Brock as his final challenger. He may even give you a few tips and tricks."

"I see… well then, I guess we had better get a move on. We definitely don't want to miss out on that opportunity… but wait, if he's such a strong guy then why don't you just ask him to take care of the forest?"

"Well, he's been waiting to get accepted into the Elite four for a long time. There's a lot of benefits that come with a position like that, you know? It's really going to help him to take better care of his family and live his dream of being a breeder… but if he misses his induction then that's that. They're pretty big about keeping a schedule, and Brock won't have a second chance if he misses it the first time."

"I guess I understand. Then, do you think that the guy's brother isn't as qualified to be a leader then? Or…"

"No, no that's not it at all. Brock has been the leader of this city for well over thirty years and has ushered hundreds of trainers on in their journeys with new insight. His brother on the other hand, has only just passed the challenges set to become a leader and hasn't ever gone on an adventure of his own unlike nearly every other leader. He's completely inexperienced, and without the necessary experience it will be hard for him to ready anyone for their journeys to come I believe. Which is why I think it best that you hurry along and try to catch Brock before he leaves. Come back to me when you're finished, I should have enough time to set up someone to come and clear out the forest by then."

"Alright then, I understand completely now." Jack bowed slightly and then pushed open the door, going around the back of the building so as to avoid the elderly woman who had began to rant earlier.

"You don't have any plans of going to that gym right now, do you?" Lappe rested his jaw on the top of Jack's head as the Pokemon slouched down onto his friend's shoulder.

"Not at all. You heard her. Brock's brother is supposed to be a pushover who knows next to nothing about battling or the world around him. It'll be a piece of cake to take him out whereas Brock himself could pose a threat to us. It'd be a shame if we had to actually try y'know?"

The Totodile sighed as it climbed back into the backpack. "I guess I'll just take a nap then if we're not going yet."

"I'll wake you up when the time comes man. Don't worry about it."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey man, it's time to wake up. Day's almost up so we should be all clear for the gym now."

The Totodile rolled over and yawned, crawling out of the bag that it had fallen asleep in.

"So you're ready to finally go beat up on another little kid so we can go home, right?"

"Well, y'know, it's more of you beating him up rather than me. I mean shit, I'm not even giving you orders like everyone else so it's almost like you're the one on the journey and I'm just here to carry you when you get too tired."

"Yeah, whatever man. Don't read too deep into the shit. Let's go do this shit and get the journey over with already. We're already both out of our comfort zone."

Jack walked up to the doors of the gym and stared up at the sign. Lappe climbed down from the boys back and began to stretch alongside Jack as they readied for themselves for their first and what they both hoped to be their last battle. Just as the two were moving to enter the building, the doors swung open and revealed a middle aged dark-skinned man with spiky hair.

"Oh, hello there! I suppose you're here to take my challenge? Or, I mean to say the Pewter city gym challenge since it's not exactly mine anymore but my brother Forrest's." The man chuckled to himself and rubbed the back of his head where his hair laid a bit more flat.

"I guess you're Brock then? Good luck in the elite 4." Jack smiled half-heartedly, and lowered his head slightly.

Brock chuckled again and then nodded his head. "Hey thanks, I hope to see you there at some point. For now though, take care of my younger brother. He's not got a lot of real world experience, but I've been training with him for a good long while so I'm sure he'll be a good challenge for you regardless of your own level. He'll be using rock types as well, so if you've spent time preparing for me then you won't have to change up your tactics or anything."

"Oh really? Sweet, sounds great. Guess we'll go on in then." Jack moved towards the door, turning sideways so as to pass by the ex-leader without continuing the conversation.

"Good luck, and if you don't mind, don't be too rough on the kid alright?"

Jack waved the back of his hand at the ex leader as he walked through the doors, struggling not to let slip a sigh.

Lappe jumped up onto jacks shoulder and whispered into his ear. "You don't really want me to take it easy on him, do you?"

Jack shook his head. "Hell no. Obviously I don't care that the guy's new or else we would have come in earlier instead of wasting precious daylight. Let's just get this shit over with so we can go back and sleep comfortably in our own bed."

A young man who appeared to be only a few years older than Jack stood in the center of the room, his arms crossed and his chin pointed to the ceiling. "Well then! I guess you're here for the challenge then! Good! You'll be my first official opponent then! Don't think I'll take it easy on you."

Jack scrunched his nose as he leaned his head in closer towards the leader. "Uh, why are you looking at the ceiling? I'm right over here."

"Don't question me! All good leaders should have a presence of grandeur and mystery! I hold my head up high because I know I'm better than you, and you should reach for my echelon! Though it's unlikely you'll ever be as great as me, you should never give up on trying!" The man smiled wide and then turned his back on Jack, walking slowly over to a structure consisting of eight rocks. "So tell me, how much experience as a trainer do you have?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a trainer in the typical sense, so..."

"So then you're not here for my challenge?" The man turned back around and looked slightly upset. "What'd I get all hyped up about then?"

"No no, I am here to fight you. It's just I'm not exactly like the average trainer I guess. My partner isn't really a friend or companion, but an equal instead. He's still a free Pokemon, we just both equally want to defeat you so we came in together on a partnership based on an understanding rather than-"

The man slammed his fist against the wall and clenched his fist before spinning around. With an expression of great joy upon his face he called out to the duo enthusiastically. "So then you are here to fight! Perfect! From the way you're talking now, it looks like you've just started out as well so I'll take it easy on you! I'll assume you don't have any badges, so I'll use my weakest Pokemon against you now. I hope you're ready!"

"Uhh, sure. I guess. Let's get this thing going then." Jack looked over to Lappe and nodded his head. The Pokemon followed his friend's lead and then waddled out into the center of his side of the field.

"Like I said, for this battle I'll be using my weakest set of Pokemon set aside for people with one or less badges. You might have the elemental advantage, but I have power in numbers. For this fight, I'll be using two Pokemon but they're not to be taken lightly. If you don't give it your all, you'll definitely lose this fight."

Jack nodded as he looked at the ground around him and then sat down with his legs crossed. "Fuck 'em up so we can go home Lappe!"

The Pokemon nodded, acknowledging it's friend's words of encouragement. The leader of the gym smiled and nodded as well, formally acknowledging the challenge and ensuing battle.

"Then, for my first Pokemon I'll send out a gift from my brother. Go, Bonsly!"

The Pokemon flew out into the center of the arena and burst free from its ball. The tiny Pokemon which resembled a potted tree let out a powerful yet adorable wail as it bounced its head against the ground in an attempt to intimidate its opponents.

"Guess we'll start the fight then." Jack pointed his finger out at the opposing Pokemon and then dropped it lazily back into his lap. "Lappe, you know what to do so don't make me waste my energy."

"Right. Fuck 'em up."


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, that was easy enough." Lappe swung his arms around, releasing the tension that had been built up through the battle.

"Y-you cheated… you had to've." Forrest fell to his knees, cradling the defeated Geodude and Bonsly as tears fell from his eyes. "There's no way you could be that strong without having any badges. Bonds like that just don't exist. You didn't even fight alongside him and yet that Pokemon defeated mine so easily... "

"That's just the way it is." Jack planted his fist in the ground and then slowly spun around, pushing himself up into a standing position before shaking out his legs. "Guess I shouldn't have wasted so much time getting comfy if it was going to be that quick."

Lappe spit a ball of water onto the ground beside himself and then began to waddle over to the leader of the gym on the other side of the field. "We'll take out badge now," the Pokemon said as it tilted its head up mockingly.

Forrest sat on the ground, his clothes dampening from his own tears alongside the water still running off of his own Pokemon. Slowly, the leader shook his head. "No."

"No? What do you mean no? We beat you didn't we?"

"No." The leader wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve before standing up. "You tried to deceive me, you don't deserve this medal. You didn't defeat me rightly. Come back tomorrow and try again… or don't come back at all, either one is fine with me." The young man pressed a pokeball against his Geodude and then replaced the two Pokemon in the rock which he'd drawn then from before disappearing through a door in the back of the arena.

"What the fuck man. You've gotta be shittin' me." Jack sighed as he kicked at the ground around him. "What kind of person acts like that? So much for leaders being so mature and shit. Honestly, fuck this shit. We're gonna go talk to Jenny, you hear?" The boy walked quickly up to the door at the rear of the gym and began to bang on it. "I'm gonna bring the police in on this shit if you're gonna cheat me like this!"

Lappe and Jack stood outside the door for nearly ten minutes, kicking and knocking at it as they called out that they weren't going to leave. After those ten minutes passed by however, the lights in the building began to dim one by one and the duo kicked the door one last time before saying 'fuck it' and walking back out into the city.

"So then we're heading back to the police then?" Lappe climbed back up onto Jack's shoulder and cozied himself into the bag on his friend's back.

"I guess. I mean, I don't really know what else to do. Maybe we should have just fought against Brock instead. At least then I would think he'd have the decency to not cheat us like this y'know?" Jack scratched the back of his head and then cracked his neck as he rolled his head around, fixing his eyes on the sky. "I guess we'll just see what happens. Maybe Jenny can get the Elite Four involved somehow and get rid of that guy. He's clearly not ready for a leadership position if he can't even bear to lose against guys like us y'know?"

The Pokemon nodded in agreement. "I guess we'll just wait and see. Not like we can really go home yet anyways."

The two walked in silence through the town until they got to the station. The old lady who had been out tending the garden earlier had fallen asleep in a little rocking chair and was now surrounded by grass-type Pokemon who were taking care of the gardening for her. Jack smirked, remembering the confrontation from earlier as the two entered the station once more.

"Ah! There you are, I have news for you." Jenny smiled as the duo entered the room. "I got ahold of a capable trainer just moments ago. The trainer is currently in Saffron, so it'll take him a short while to get here. The boy said that he and his Machamp would be in the forest sometime during the night and would be finished before morning comes."

"Well that's great news. I guess that means you'll have time to help us out with this other problem we have in the meantime." Jack swung the bag off of his back and let Lappe out of it.

"Oh? And what's that?" Jenny rose from her seat, picking up a belt of Pokeballs and snapping it around her waist.

"Well," Jack began as he thought of whether or not to tell her why exactly they waited so long to challenge the gym after they left. "We got caught up at the Pokemon Center earlier, so we didn't get to the gym until Brock was already gone. But that was fine, because we got to fight Forrest in his place. Or, it would have been fine but after we beat Forrest he kind of just ignored us and left without giving us his badge."

Jenny looked at the two, puzzled and then removed her belt. "Well, what got you so caught up at the Pokemon Center that made it so you couldn't take on the challenge until Brock was out?"

Jack shifted nervously, unsure of what exactly to say to her. The boy looked down at Lappe who looked back at him, shooting him a look which more or less said 'if you make up an excuse which throws me under the bus I'll kick your ass'. "Well, I uh... I had… really… really… bad… uh… poops…"

Jenny tilted her head to the side and scrunched up her eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I uh…" Jack swallowed hard as he looked at the floor, trying his best to avoid eye contact. "I had uh… really bad poops… liquidy and stuff… I didn't feel like I could fight with my full strength so we just kind of…"

Jenny sighed as she shook her head, planting her elbow on the table and then her head in her palm. "Just wait until tomorrow. Forrest just got promoted to leader, so it'll take him some time to cope with the fact he's essentially made to be a loser forever. Go back in tomorrow and talk to him. By then he should be ready to give in, and if not come back here and I'll call for the Elite Four to step in. For now, why don't you go to the museum and then get a room for the night? I'll give you a bit of cash since the museum isn't too expensive and it's more or less the city's problem as far as you not being able to move on goes."

Jack nodded, holding his sweaty palms out to the officer as she dropped the few coins into his hand. "So uh, what exactly is the museum about? Natural history or something like that?"

"Sort of. The base floor is dedicated to fossils and special evolutionary stones discovered here in Kanto. The bottom floor is dedicated to the Kanto Space Program. They've got a model rocket, a diagram of our planetary system and a small farm of space based Pokemon like Clefairy and Minior."

"I see, well I guess that sounds kind of cool. We could take some time to check it out I guess. Thanks."

"No problem. The hotel should open up to walk-ins sometime in the next twenty or thirty minutes, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to get a room. Just enjoy what the city has to offer in the meantime and hopefully we'll have everything sorted out by tomorrow."

Jack nodded, picking up Lappe as he turned to walk out the door. After they'd cleared the entrance to the building, he looked down at the Pokemon tucked away under his arm. "So, what do you want to do? You wanna grab a bite to eat, go to that museum or just go wait at the hotel for it to open up?"

"We didn't really get enough from that chick to buy food and that museum just sounds really fuckin' lame. So really the only option left is to just go and wait shit out I guess."

"Eh, if that's fine with you then I guess it's fine with me too. It's only like twenty minutes anyways, and I am starting to get kind of tired. A lot of shit has gone on today man."

"Yeah, well, that's exactly why we're heading back home right after we get this badge. From what I've heard, most days of a trainer's life or journey or whatever are filled with bullshit like what's happened today. It's best for the both of us if we just hit up Jenny early in the morning tomorrow and have her call up the Elite Four. Just completely bypass the step of returning to the gym at all and have the head honchos come give us our badge instead."

"Yeah, that makes sense. It'll waste a lot less time at least. We might even make it back home before dinner tomorrow night." Jack walked up to the wall of the hotel that they'd been told to stay at and sat on the ground with his back up against it, his bag laying on the ground between his legs. "I wonder what Mom's up to now anyways? It must be so different for her without us there, especially after Dad disappeared."

A silence passed over the two as the topic of Jack's father came up. The man had been missing for over three years now, and nobody had any idea why or where he'd gone. At one point in his youth, the man had been a respectable trainer and then as time passed he had gone on to become the Sensei for the dojo in Saffron City. He was a self defense instructor, a man who taught Jack a lot of what he knew now about relationships between humans and Pokemon. While his father had indeed been a trainer back in his day, he didn't fully believe in or support the choices that came with the occupation. He believed that any Pokemon could become a friend and would aid someone regardless of if it had been tamed through capture or not.

Jack's father had released all of his Pokemon from their balls and took on each in a battle of strength. Day in and day out he trained with his Pokemon and taught them all he knew so that they could possibly see each other as equals. But before his efforts bore any fruit, the man went missing. A few months later, Mewtwo appeared and began to fight out against the humans for Pokemon's rights. When the Pokemon had first appeared, it said things which sounded eerily similar to what the boy's father had once tried to teach him. For a while, Jack thought that his father might have run off to join this group of Pokemon who sought freedom from trainers. But at the end of the day it was just another conspiracy theory, and this world was beginning to become filled with things such as those.

Jack let out a sigh, trying his best not to think about his father any more than he had to. He looked up at the hotel's sign, seeing that they still had around ten minutes until it opened. The boy laid out on the patchy grass which surrounded the building and looked up into the sky which was slowly being taken over by the night and its stars.

"Wonder what that is…" Lappe rolled over onto his stomach as he looked off towards the East. A massive, flying Pokemon was crossing the sky and it seemed to have multiple somethings dangling off the bottom of it which seemed to fall off periodically.

Jack met the Pokemon's gaze and then shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it. It's probably nothing, just a battle gotten out of hand or something."

"I suppose." The Pokemon continued to stare off at the flying creature, wondering what exactly it was and where it was headed to.

"Hey, let's go. Hotel just opened up." Jack stood up, picking up his bag and holding out his hand to Lappe.

"Yeah…" Lappe's eyes remained fixed on the Pokemon in the distance as he took his friend's hand. The Totodile finally looked away and clung to Jack's shoulder as they entered the building. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but it wasn't worth worrying about now. If something were up, they'd find out about it eventually.

"Hello, I'd like a room please…"


	6. Chapter 6

All through the night, Jack's dreams were haunted with disjointed images of his father - most involved him turned away and leaving their home. Jack tried to shout out to him, wanting to call him back to his mother and himself but his voice was drowned out by a slow and constant thud. At one point in the night, he'd even woken up due to the thudding sounds and thought that they persisted even outside of his dreams. Lappe was there on the windowsill, his head resting on the sill as he gazed out towards the sky illuminated with a soft pink.

"Go back to bed Jack. There's nothing for you here right now."

The Pokemon's voice was slow and gravelly, his words hung heavy in the air as he spoke them. He sounded choked up, as if he had just finished crying over something and was trying to appear strong. Jack mumbled some incomprehensible string of words with no real meaning behind them and then fell back to sleep until the morning.

The next morning, Lappe was still in the same position as when Jack had awoken earlier that night. The Pokemon lifted its head and looked over at his friend, heavy circles beneath both of their eyes.

"It's kind of weird sleeping away from home, isn't it?" Jack mumbled and then stretched out his arms as he yawned. "Did you get any sleep? I kept having this really weird dream all through the night, but I guess I got enough sound sleep all in all. I could probably sleep a few more hours but I'd rather do it in my own bed, y'know?"

Lappe nodded his head, his eyes drifting away from Jack as the boy began to grow more aware. "I got just a little. The birds kept me up almost all night though…" The Pokemon's words trailed off as he wiggled off of the window sill and onto the floor. "Are you ready to go see that woman again?"

"Officer Jenny you mean? Yeah, I mean, we need to get that kid to give us his badge so we can go home so it makes sense doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Makes sense."

Jack rolled out of bed, still in his outfit from the day before and made a bee line path for the front door. Lappe followed closely behind him, his head still hung low as he watched his friend's footsteps and fell in behind them. Jack waited around in the lobby of the hotel for several minutes, wanting to pay off the room so they could immediately head home once all was said and done. However, after ringing the bell and calling out for someone to come up to the counter for nearly ten minutes Jack shrugged his shoulders and placed the room balance on the counter before scooting it off the other side of the counter and onto the floor.

"Well, they can't say we didn't try to pay them if they don't find it later." Jack chuckled to himself, but Lappe was already at the door, holding it open wide for them to go through after the tab had been paid. "What are you in such a rush for," Jack questioned as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked outside.

"I just want to get this done with."

"Homesick huh? I get it. But it's not the first time for you, is it?"

"Last time it wasn't really my choice… I guess it's not really any different from now, is it?"

"What's up man? You seem really under the weather today for some reason."

"It's just… last night… I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what? We won the fight so it's not your fault. Sure, you might have fought a little too hard and gave him the wrong impression, but it's not really your fault."

"It's not that man… it's just… nevermind… let's just get on with what we have to do… I'll tell you later…"

Jack looked worriedly out of the corner of his eye at his friend. Lappe had never acted this way before. It was completely out of character for the Pokemon, and it was really beginning to worry the boy, though he knew better than to pry. Lappe would tell Jack when he was well and ready.

Jack stood outside of the Police station and stared at the sign that had been hung over the door from the inside. 'Out on Patrol' stared at him in bright red lettering. All of the lights inside were turned off, and the desk inside seemed to be exactly as it had been the night before. The boy looked at the hours posted on the glass window which indicated when the station was supposed to be open.

"Seven A.M. to twelve P.M.. Officer on duty - Jenny. It's only ten after seven, maybe she's not come in yet."

Lappe nodded. "Let's take a seat and wait a bit for her here then. If we don't see her before then, we should just go confront Forrest again and see what arises from that."

"Yeah, I suppose so. You'd think an officer of the law would be on time to work… but really it doesn't seem like anyone at all is out right now. The old lady next door isn't out with her garden, and I didn't see a single person on the way here did you?"

Lappe shook his head. "No."

Jack stared at the Pokemon and then looked up to the sky. The sky was tinted with a light grey, and seemed much darker to the South but he really thought nothing of it. Nearly an hour passed before Jack finally caved in. The boy rose to his feet and nudged the Totodile beside him.

"Let's go then."

The duo arrived at the gym and burst in the front door. Looking all around and finding the room empty, Jack sighed, cleared his throat and then inhaled deeply. "Forrest! I've come to talk with you about our battle last night!"

Several minutes passed and then the young boy moved one of the rocks at the back of the room and entered. His eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. The boy looked Jack up and down and then rubbed his forearm across his face.

"So you've come to challenge me fair and square then?"

"What? No. I want what's mine. Give me my badge! I already beat you once and that's all that's needed, right?"

Forrest pressed a button by the tunnel from which he'd came, and the formation of rocks split open, revealing eight sets of Pokeballs. The leader grabbed the first ball from the rock third from the top and then stretched his arm out towards the challenger.

"As a gym leader, I must abide by that rule that is correct. But it is also my duty to give all who would wish to challenge me, a battle befitting their abilities. To fight someone with only a fraction of my power because they've only just begun their journeys is only a part of it, I am also here to challenge you the trainer. I must be able to recognize your power and match it with power of my own in order to properly gauge your strength. This is why I've kept the badge from you. Our battle yesterday could only be considered a warm-up due to me not recognizing your full potential and providing an adequate enough battle to test you. Today will be the true thing."

"So what you're saying is, you can't stand the idea that your very first challenger defeated you so easily, so you're going to try harder to defeat me? Great. Are all gym leaders as cheap as you?"

"Don't worry, I won't use my strongest team. I'll only use those Pokemon whose powers rival your own. Now then, if you're ready."

Jack sighed. He stared at his feet for several seconds, wondering if he should risk it and fight once more or if he should just wait for Jenny to return later in the day and talk with her about it. Without the boy's realizing it, Lappe made his way into the center of the arena and stared down the gym leader.

"Jack!" The boy snapped to attention, staring at his partner who had already taken up his position in the center of the arena. "Let's finish this."

Jack nodded and then took his place on the floor, giving his friend a thumbs up for encouragement.

Forrest nodded his head, re-acknowledging their challenge. "This time is for real. If you beat me now, I'll have no qualms about awarding you my city's badge. If you lose thought, it's back to square one. You'll need to challenge me all over again until you finally muster the strength to defeat me. I hope you're ready for what is to come." The leader gently pressed the center of the ball in his hand and released his first of three Pokemon into the center of the arena. "Graveler, I choose you!"

The Pokemon burst free from its ball and un-folded its arms from its body while letting out a mighty roar. The Graveler pointed at Lappe with one of its hands and then turned it into a fist, taunting the Pokemon to come at it. Totodile swayed from side-to-side before unleashing a mighty torrent of water from its maw. The Graveler threw up its arms in front of itself, causing the water to splash away from it, rendering the attack mostly ineffective. The battle had just begun, but it seemed it would be an arduous one.


	7. Chapter 7

The Graveler grinned menacingly as it dug its hands into the ground and lifted up chunks of the arena and began to toss them haphazardly at Lappe. The Totodile danced between each impact, using its Water Gun to propel itself quickly in whichever direction it needed. The Graveler narrowed its eyes, and then after launching four more rocks curled into a ball and shot straight towards the Pokemon as it flew through the air with a dwindling stream of water.

"Graveler! Rollout now! Don't let up, build into your full power before they have anything to do about it!"

The leader was playing much more aggressively than the day before, where he'd shown himself to be much more cautious and 'by the books' in regards to battle etiquette. Something had definitely set a fire under him over night, but what it was was uncertain. Forrest's eyes gleamed with determination to defeat Jack and show him the true powers of a leader. However, his eyes weren't the only ones who'd changed by the events of the night.

Lappe snapped his head around towards the Graveler, the Totodile's eyes glowing a brilliant blue as the rocks scattered about his side of the arena began to float and make a wall around him. Tilting his head back, the Pokemon filled its mouth with a powerful blast of water and then shot it out quickly at one of the boulders which orbited around it - shooting it off like a cannon at the rolling Pokemon.

"Graveler!" Forrest called out as his Pokemon was pelted by one of its own projectiles, knocking it off balancing and causing it to careen into the pit it had made from digging up the arena.

"This is over." Lappe announced as he rocketed off towards the pit where the Graveler had fallen. As the Totodile flew past the hole, at once the orbiting stones flew into the hole on their own accord, pummeling the helpless Pokemon into submission.

"Shoot… Graveler, I'm sorry." The leader held out his arm, pressing the Pokeball's center once more and retrieving his felled ally. "You surprise me Jack and Lappe. Your win yesterday was no fluke, that is for certain. Your power as a Trainer and Pokemon is real in order to defeat my Graveler. However, from here on you won't be able to just sit back and relax anymore. This is where the battle gets real. I received this Pokemon on my first trip across the sea to Cinnabar island back before it was destroyed."

Moving over towards the wall of Pokeballs, the Leader replaced the capsule containing his fallen Graveler and removed the one next to it in the line of three. Without looking back, he threw out his arm and pressed the button, releasing the ancient Pokemon in its full glory. A grin spread across his face as he took in the expression of his opponent.

Jack's eyes widened as he rose to his feet. There were few who'd ever seen the fossil of ancient Pokemon before, let alone those who could say that they'd either fought against or captured one. The rarity of creatures like these rivaled that of legendary Pokemon, and to tame one was proof of a trainer's abilities. Even though Jack had never really cared for the idea of being a trainer, he'd always wondered what it would be like to witness either a legendary or prehistoric Pokemon. Seeing the monster here in front of him now, was proof enough that what Forrest said was true. If he wanted to go back home, he'd have to get truly serious here and now.

"Well, what do you think?" Forrest turned back towards Jack with his hands on his hips, trying not to look too smug about having caught his opponent off guard. "Isn't my Aerodactyl a magnificent one? My brother used to tell me stories about his encounters and experiences with these fossilized Pokemon once they'd been returned to life. In fact, a few years ago he'd even assembled a couple of teams filled with these prehistoric Pokemon and had hopes of breeding them so their population could flourish once more… one of our brothers even decided to go into schooling to become an archaeologist so he could find even more fossils to resurrect for Brock." Tears began to fall from the boy's face as he talked about his older brother. Burying his face in his sleeve for a moment, he gathered himself and wiped away the tears streaming down his face. "Brock's done so much for us all… the people of this city and his family alike… we're all so grateful to him, for everything that he's done… it'd be a disgrace to his name for me to lose to you now! I'll use this Pokemon that he gave me so long ago to defeat you!"

The Aerodactyl let out a piercing screech as it took to the skies, flying high up out of the reach of the tiny Water type. Lappe's eyes began to glow once more as the rocks began to float up from the pit they'd been dropped in.

"Lappe…" Jack whispered.

The Totodile looked behind him at his friend, their eyes meeting. "I know. It's awesome, isn't it?"

Jack nodded. "I never imagined I'd get to see something so cool… but I'ma need you to show me something even cooler… kick its ass so we can head home buddy."

Lappe looked back towards the sky and then slowly nodded his head. "Of course, man. It was a dream of both of ours after all… but this journey is not… I have to do my part while you do yours."

The Totodile filled its mouth with water and then fired at the ground below it, causing the earth to crack and making a giant indention from the pressure. The Pokemon flew up into the sky and faced eye to eye with the Aerodactyl before being ripped away from its stream of water by the claws of the monster. The Aerodactyl flew in a circle, speeding up with each flap of its wings as it swooped in towards the ground and slammed Lappe into it. The Totodile rolled several feet after the impact, the damage done to it in that single hit very clear. The difference in their powers were phenomenal - without even issuing a command, Forrest's Aerodactyl had nearly done in Lappe with a single strike.

"This is the power of a Leader officially recognized by the Pokemon League. The life of a trainer is not something to be taken lightly Jack. We devote ourselves to our work, the betterment of ourselves and the ascension of others. When you first entered this arena yesterday, you thought of me as nothing, just because I was the first enemy you would have to face you brushed me off as nothing but a stepping stone. But I am more than that, my Pokemon are more than that, gyms and leaders as a whole are so much more than that! We are greater things than just benchmarks for the Pokemon League! We each have dreams and goals of our owns outside of battling!"

"Then what is your dream?" Jack called out from where he was standing, staring at his damaged and dazed friend, feeling anger for the first time. "And why the hell should I care? I was forced into this journey and told I could only go home once this battle had been won! I didn't ask for this! If I could have just lived my life without ever leaving Viridian then it would have been all the better!"

Forrest took a step back as his eyes widened. "What?" He whispered to himself as his whole body began to shake. "You said…"

"Me and Lappe don't share the same relationship as everyone else that comes through this place! Our bonds are stronger than those of a trainer and his Pokemon! Our connection is much deeper and more special than you could ever imagine! Just because our power may not be as great as yours doesn't mean that's a bad thing! Regardless of where we go in life, we will always be together! No matter who we become or how our ideals might change, we'll always have each other's backs! Pokemon are more than just pets or tools for battle! They are real companions, sentient beings on the level of any other person!"

"I realize that, but Jack-"

"Enough! Lappe! Get up and turn that fossil into dust before I hop in there and do it myself!"

The Totodile, who had began to silently cry rose to its feet. Wiping away the tears at its eyes, the Pokemon looked up towards the Aerodactyl and barred its teeth. Letting out a loud yell, Lappe kicked off of the ground and latched its teeth around the Pokemon's wing and began to claw at it, his hands coated in a dark substance. The Aerodactyl screeched and then fell to the ground, unable to shake the tiny Pokemon from its wing. It called out towards Forrest, waiting for its master to give it an order.

The leader fell to his knees and stared at Jack. "How can you be so strong willed in this moment?"

"Let's get this over with Lappe! Make your Water Gun as strong as you can and blast a hole in that monster's wing! Make sure it never flies again!"

The Totodile closed its eyes, tears streaming down its face as it unlatched its teeth from the Aerodactyl's wing and then fired off the strongest Water Gun it could muster. The Aerodactyl didn't even move, its wing had been too damaged by Lappe's piercing teeth and the repetitive Shadow Claws. The Pokemon was completely helpless without its trainer's aid and in the leader's silence it was quickly done in, the gap in power be damned.

"Jack, do you not think it's weird that your friend is crying? Why are you so unaffected by what is going on? Do you not see that you're letting your rage consume you? Are you really just going to turn a blind eye to what happened to Viridian City and live in this fantasy world of yours where everything will be alright if you just win?"

"What are you talking about? You're down to just one Pokemon, so let's just finish this."

"No. I refuse to go on any longer. This isn't right Jack! I was really surprised when you came in today for a rematch so nonchalant. I thought you were so much stronger willed than myself that I just had to meet you, even if I did just lose my brother…"

"What? What happened to your brother?"

"He was in Viridian City on the way to the Pokemon League… he'd stopped in to meet with an old acquaintance of his and then… he didn't make it out in time…"

"Didn't make it out? What do you mean by that?"

"The bombing run… he was caught in it and… nobody's heard from him since. Sure, Pokemon are strong and all but… there's a limit to both what they and humans can take…"

"Bombing… run… what…" Jack slowly stepped backwards until he fell down. He looked between Lappe and Forrest, seeing that both of them were neglecting to meet his gaze, he finally understood. "So this is why… this is why you've been acting so distant Lappe… why, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't either of you tell me! When we were waiting outside of Jenny's why didn't you say something? Why? Why!"

Lappe laid on the ground and buried his head in his hands. "I'm sorry. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd hoped that we could avoid it for a while longer… the bombs had been going off ever since you went to sleep… everyone went outside but… you just sleep so peacefully not even the apocalypse could wake you." The Pokemon laughed halfheartedly.

"It's not fucking funny!" Jack's eyes began to tear up and his lip quivered. The boy leaned forward and started crawling towards Lappe on all fours. "Why Lappe? You should have just told me… if I'd have known I… I… I don't know…"

"I'd hoped we could hold off on it for a while. Maybe Jenny could have broken the news to you or we could have just kept moving on with the journey until we had another way to Viridian and I could have broke the news then… I don't know, I just wasn't strong enough to tell you… It's been tearing me up inside all day too… I've never felt pain like this before Jack. It hurts. It hurts so fucking bad. I thought if I could just look strong for you and win this fight then… maybe you'd want to keep going on, regardless of whatever came up… I'm sorry…"

"How… how did it happen?"

Forrest walked forward into the arena and knelt down next to Jack. "It was an army of Seedot… they were clinging to the feathers of a flock of flying Pokemon which was said to be led by a Pidgeotto and the legendary Pokemon; Ho-Oh."

"A Pidegotto and… a legendary Pokemon…" Jack's face turned white as the blood ran away from it.

"The likelihood of it being West is really slim but…" Lappe sat up, his eyes still flowing with tears but his voice unbreaking now. "He said the only way to go would be forward… do you think he could have been talking about this?"

Jack clenched his fist. "I'll fucking kill him. I'll kill all of them if it was their doing. Next time we meet that Pokemon, I'll ask him myself. I'll get him to tell me the truth even if I have to rip out each and every one of his damn feathers."

"Jack, I'm upset about my brother as well, but revenge is not the answer. Besides, you're not even sure if this is related to that Pokemon."

"No, it's definitely related." Lappe swallowed hard as he stared the leader in the eyes. "It's just not sure if West was actually the one leading the bombers or if it was another Pidgeotto. I always knew that the Republic would eventually start a war, I just never thought…"

"If we could have just stayed home, we could have helped them…" Jack whispered.

"That's not exactly true. My brother - one of the Elite Four - was even there along with someone who he said was just as strong or stronger than himself and they couldn't stop the bombing run. Viridian city is filled with experienced and successful battlers and not one of them was able to stop the attack from happening… and… not one person survived either… It seems that not only was Viridian blown up, but also Pallet Town and most of Victory Road were decimated as well. Their only escape was through the forest but… Jenny's been there ever since the Seedot started falling and… not a single person came her way."

"It's because the exit was blocked." Jack's eyes widened to the point that they appeared ready to fall out of his head. "It was all our fault. Of course… if we hadn't gone through that battle with West, then the path out of Viridian wouldn't have been sealed… and this entire bombing wouldn't have even likely happened… it's all completely our fault… I can't…"

"Just because there's not been any reports of survivors, that doesn't mean there aren't any." Lappe placed his hand on Jack's knee. "If they are safe, then they're likely on Victory Road, right Forrest?"

The leader nodded his head. "Of course. If they'd gone through to Pewter or tried to come here they wouldn't have made it, but only the entrance to Victory Road was really damaged. There's still a good chance that they're making their way through there to the Pokemon League on the other side, or even to Johto. It'll be a few days before we find out anything, but there's always the possibility."

Jack nodded his head absentmindedly, staring at his feet and wondering if his Mom were okay. There was no way to get a hold of her even if she was to make it out alive, so hope was all that he really had to hold onto now.

"For now, I think it best you continue on your journey, even if you don't want to. If this 'West' is part of the Republic and holds a grudge against you, there's no telling when or where he'll strike again trying to get back at you. You need to get stronger. The air of the world around us has just changed drastically over night. There's no telling what might happen next. If a legendary Pokemon was leading the bombing run, then Mewtwo and the rest of the Republic might have even more of them locked up somewhere waiting to play a role. The power of those Pokemon is definitely no joke… even using all of my Pokemon I doubt I'd have a chance of defeating one without a type advantage."

Jack and Lappe looked at each other, their eyes drying as the time passed. Jack still couldn't suppress the feeling that things had taken the worst possible turn, but he couldn't dwell on it now. What Forrest said was true. They'd only just been able to barely defeat the leader's second Pokemon and that was only because he'd been distracted. If he'd been fighting at full force, Forrest would have decimated the duo. Their powers definitely needed a drastic increase and fast if they were going to take revenge. Like the leader said, there's no telling how many or what kinds of Pokemon lie in wait within the Republic. The next time they fought West, it might not be one against one.

"What do you suppose we do to get stronger then?" Jack pursed his lips. Deep inside, he knew the answer already, he just didn't want to admit it.

"Challenge the other gyms of Kanto as you did me. Show them my badge and any others you might collect. Take them on and prevail, bolster your numbers until you can defeat even the gym on Cinnabar. I heard that even the gym of Viridian was destroyed, so for now there is no eighth badge, but by the time you gain a few that will most likely have changed."

"Great… just what we'd set out hoping to avoid…" Jack sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "But how are we supposed to show other gyms your badge if we haven't even got one from you yet?"

"Right, well. I suppose you did defeat me once, and then Graveler was nearly as strong as my entire second team put together so it kind of makes up for it. You're strong, there's no doubt about that, but you'll need to push yourself much harder if you want to prevail. I understand your relationship is different from the average Pokemon and trainer, but you could take some hints from the ways that others battle. I'm sure Lappe's instincts are good, but nothing beats the insight that a trainer can give to a Pokemon. Don't rely on just one or the other. You're partners. You're in this together now so you need to find a way to make it work. Strategize and try not to just brute force your way through it anymore alright? That's the last bit of advice I've got for you… Now I'm going to go get back on the line with Jenny and see if she won't go check out Victory Road or get someone else to. If I learn anything, it'll likely be on the news before I can actually get hold of you again, so pay attention to the television wherever you go or you might just miss your chance."

The leader pulled the Boulderbadge from the inside of his shirt and placed it in Jack's hand, closing his fingers around it as he finished speaking. The two's eyes met and then Lappe crawled onto Jack's back, taking up his perch on the boy's shoulder.

"Thanks… until we meet again then I guess."

Jack placed the badge in his pant's pocket and then stood up. He waved his hand at Forrest and then headed out the front door. Just as the he left the gym, a siren went off at the entrance to the town. Curious, Jack rushed towards the entrance, the doors to the gym flying open as Forrest burst out from them soon after.

Slowly waddling into town was a Seedot with shreds of blue fabric and a badge caught on the top of its head and its stem. Etched just below the Pokemon's eyes were the initials of the Freed Kanto Pokemon Republic. As Lappe and Jack came into the Pokemon's view, it began to glow violently.

"As a representative of the FKPR I bring you a message! Our great and powerful leader, Mewtwo has deigned that you, Jack and Lappe are enemies of our organization and shall therefore experience excruciating pain in every sense of the word! Know here that this attack on your hometown was only the beginning of what is to come!" The Seedot's glow became even more furious as it spoke, it's whole body shaking as its eyes closed and its voice wavered. "West would also like for you to know, that your mother is only the first part of your loss. From hereon, any who you befriend or who chooses to befriend you will meet the same fate. Praise be to Arceus. Praise be… to Mewtwo… long live the Republic."

The Pokemon's voice trailed off as a blinding light filled the city. Jack, Lappe and Forrest were all thrown backwards as the Seedot exploded, bits of its body flying off in all directions along with the rubble of a house which had been standing nearby.


	8. Chapter 8

After Jack returned to consciousness, he found that Lappe and Forrest were both still well and unharmed. Forrest had released his Pokemon from their balls and were helping to wall off the city from Viridian. Officer Jenny had returned and was directing the injured away from the forest and off towards the Pokemon Center, her Arcanine had been fitted with a special saddle with two hammocks on each side for carrying away those who were injured to the point of immobility. The Pokemon flew between the forest and the Pokemon Center at amazing speeds yet still being as light as a feather, only barely touching the ground as it passed. Innocent people and Pokemon alike were hurried away and out of the forest and towards the Pokemon Center. Through the trees, Jack could see the outlines of glowing eyes - a great number of Pokemon were still loyal to the Republic in this area regardless of what amount of danger they'd been put in from the haphazard bombing.

"How long was I out for?" Jack walked over to where Lappe was sitting, rubbing the bump on his head caused by the flying rubble earlier on.

"At least two hours." Lappe looked down into his lap as he bit his lip. "Forrest was out for about an hour. When he came to, he immediately jumped into action. He sent a Sudowoodo of his off into the forest to retrieve Jenny who seems to have been seriously injured by a swarm of Ratticate… though I guess she's recovered… I had a lot of free time so I spoke to Nurse Joy and she said the policewoman hasn't fully recovered, but refused not to pitch in and help secure the city." The Pokemon fell silent for a moment as he looked off at the wall nearing its completion. "Joy said that the bones in Jenny's arm are completely crushed, almost to dust… it's unlikely that she'll be able to keep it, and yet here she is helping out in whatever way she can… I'm so fucking useless man, it's not even funny."

Jack wrapped his arm around the Pokemon and squeezed it tightly into his chest as they both began to cry silently. "It's okay man… I was afraid that I'd lost you…"

Lappe chuckled in between tears. "Don't think that I'm as weak as you dipshit. Even the weakest of us Pokemon has skin hundreds of times thicker than yours. A little exploding Pokemon or building isn't enough to do us in."

Jack laughed back, "I know, it's just… I'm glad you're still here. I wouldn't really know what to do if I lost you as well, y'know?"

The Pokemon nodded its head but remained quiet as it wiped the tears from its eyes. Jack stared off at the Gym Leader as he and his Pokemon worked together to move rocks of all sizes from one side of the city to the other. Pokemon from all over town had joined in to help in the efforts, but their trainers were constantly being warned and scolded by Jenny for getting too close to the barricade. If there were another attack, the Pokemon would be fine to get healed at the Pokemon Center, but the people of the city just weren't built the same. The elderly lady who'd been watering plants beside the police station slowly walked up to Lappe and Jack and sat down next to them.

"War is a frightening thing. I'd hoped I'd never have to live through another of them, but in this world it's nearly inevitable. If it's not one thing, then it's the other, you understand?"

The woman smiled halfheartedly at Jack as he nodded his head and turned away from her. He wondered if she'd already forgotten the day before when Lappe had badmouthed her. The boy watched the woman from the corner of his eye, noticing as she sat there that there was a Pokeball resting atop her cane.

"Is that a Pokeball?"

"Yes dear."

"So you were a trainer?"

"I suppose you could put it that way." The woman laughed softly as she leaned back and put her head in the grass. "At one time I was a very powerful trainer, at another a scientist, a soldier, a monster…" the woman closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I've been many a thing in my life, and all of them have revolved around Pokemon. Some of the things I've done have been through my own power, but your friend reminded me of something just yesterday. In this world, we may pretend to have power of the creatures we call Pokemon, but we are truly subject to them. We are graced with the gift of life in this world which should otherwise be solely inhabited by them. When the very God who created all that you see around you is a Pokemon, some doubts should start to spread… but the youngin's these days play at being oblivious towards those facts. It's no wonder _that_ Pokemon wants a revolution…"

"Are you saying that… you think what the Republic is doing is right?"

The woman laughed so hard that she began to choke and cough. She held a rag up to her lips and coughed even harder as she sat up from the ground. As she pulled the rag away, spots of blood could see staining the fabric which was once pure white. Her hand began to shake as she wiped her tongue across her lips and folded the rag back up, placing it in her pocket.

"No, these kinds of attacks are not right. However, I do see where they're coming from. Which is why I've resigned myself to staying here ever since the day they founded that organization."

Jack stared at the woman as she stood up and brushed off her dress. "What do you mean by that? You've resigned yourself to staying here?"

"I've looked forward to retirement for so many years my child. I've seen so many faces, heard so many stories, known so many people… All I wanted was to move on, to forget those people and the things that they've said to me, the things that I've done… This is my retirement. Having just recently given up my position, it's only natural that I'd take over at least some of the duties of the one taking my place isn't it? Besides, so long as I'm here, nobody would dare to attack this place."

The elderly woman pulled an old photograph from her pocket, something that looked like a family picture. Jack stood up and continued to look at the woman until his eyes drifted down alongside hers towards the photo of a somewhat younger version of her, two teenage boys in red and blue, a much younger woman, two younger looking men and an older gentleman nearly the same age as her. Out of all the people pictured, the elderly man and the boy in blue seemed to spark something within Jack.

"Do I… do I know those two from somewhere?" The boy reached out his hand absentmindedly towards the picture, hoping to take a better look at it.

The elderly woman replaced the photo in her dress and smiled at the boy. "It's the youth who will lead the world in the times to come my child. We old people have already had our adventures. You must become stronger if you're going to do what your father could not Jack."

"Jack!" Forrest called out from the wall which was entering its final stages.

The elderly woman smiled at the duo and then turned away, slowly making her way back towards her house. Forrest rushed over to where Jack was still standing, completely confused by what had just gone on.

"Jack, I'm glad to see you're finally awake." Forrest was drenched in sweat and his clothes had been torn to shreds so that only shorts and shoes remained. "It's hard work moving these stones you know? It's actually a good thing you didn't get to leave yet though, I've got something for you." The leader held out his hand, an envelope stained yellow with sweat placed in it. "I'd forgotten all about it earlier after our battle. After you showed me your strength, I knew I had to make some sort of preparations for your journey ahead. While were fighting, I'd already been taken by the idea of sending a letter over to Kris in Cerulean City to up her effort in the fight against you. But since you're here, it's probably easier to just let you have it. I added a few more things in there from what I'd originally intended… given the situation we're in now I thought it was necessary."

"Forrest…" Jack looked at the leader's hand and then back over to the elderly woman struggling to make her way up the very slight incline back to her house. "Who is that old lady?"

"That? That's old Aggy, why do you ask?"

Jack shook his head. "She talked to me, but I didn't really understand. It was all really vague, but she knew my name for some reason."

"Hmm, well, Aggy's been around as long as I can remember. The past few years she's been giving Brock some sort of special training, but I never really found out for what. All I know is that she's extremely powerful, but in her old age it's really hard for her to get out and do things so she more or less just keeps a watchful eye over things around here. We used to have a really bad infestation of Team Rocket members in the area after they were disbanded the first time. I heard she dealt with them pretty handily, but I never got to see since that was when Brock decided to take me to Cinnabar for my first fossil."

"So, you don't really know her story then…"

"Not really. I mean, she's strong and she's been protecting this town for a long time so I welcome the help. I'm not really one to pry into people's business anyways. If she wants to talk to you, I'm sure she'd be able to find you regardless of where you are though."

"I see."

"Yeah, well, anyways you really should be moving on. There's no telling when the Republic will be making their next move, so you need to gain as much strength as possible for the time being. Also, learn to put more energy into your battles. Lappe is a pretty strong Pokemon, but we can only get so far with our strength as individuals. Where people and Pokemon truly become powerful is in teamwork." Forrest looked behind him and grinned widely. "Just look at that wall over there! Prime example!" The leader giggled uncontrollably as he ran over to one of Graveler and slapped its hand before pulling it into a strong embrace.

"Teamwork huh?" Jack whispered. "Lappe, how do you think we should work together? Half the time it's hard for me to really follow your movements anyways, so I don't really know what I could do to help… but…" an image of Jack's mother flashed across his mind and he began to chew on his nail as he grew worried.

Lappe jumped onto his friend's back and placed his hand on top of the boy's head. "Don't worry man. I kinda like doin' my own thing anyways. Like that old lady said, Pokemon are the strong ones. If you tried to help out I think you'd only really get in the way and confuse the shit outta me." The Pokemon began to chuckle lightly as it placed its head against Jack's.

The boy frowned and then sighed. "Yeah well, don't get too ahead of yourself. That was still just the first trial and we only won because Forrest was distracted." The image of Jack's mom lingered in the back of his head as he spoke to his friend. "We have to get stronger, no matter the means…"

Lappe looked worriedly at the sky and then nodded his head. "Whatever the means… hmph."


	9. Chapter 9

"What the fuck is this?"

"Well, that's just what happens y'know? It'll take a while, so for the time being you can either wait or take the old road around."

Jack scratched his head vigorously as he stared at the miners standing around the entrance to Mount Moon. It was amazing how quickly they'd all moved in on the work, but for there being eight of them they were moving incredibly slow.

"So," Lappe began, "you got any idea just how long it'll take to open back up the entrance?"

"Well," one of the miners slammed his pick into the ground, clearly agitated at the duo's questions, "we been workin' on it ever since the first Seedot fell somewhere in the middle there. It's not an easy thing to say right now, we don't know if the cave-in is just at the entrance or if it goes on deeper into the caves. For now we're just focusing our energy on the entrance and hoping this is the end of it… if I really had to say, then this part will take around four or five days. If the collapse extends even further in, then, well… I can't really say. Anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. It'd honestly be easier to dig a whole new tunnel than clear out the whole cave in this way, but that's not a luxury we really have. Mount Moon is just too expansive, and is still being expanded… or at least it was… oh Arceus it just hit me… I've never seen a dead body, I can't imagine what'll happen if we end up digging someone up out of a pile somewhere deeper in. I think, I think I'ma be sick."

The miner rushed off into one of the tents that had been set up for the workers to sleep in, leaving Jack and Lappe alone. The sound of the miner hurling was not only still audible, but the smell that came with it was moving fast as well. The duo held their noses shut as they rushed into the safety if the Pokemon center.

"So Jack, what's the plan?" Lappe plopped down into one of the seats designed for Pokemon of his size and then leaned back in it, his head resting on the back of the seat and facing his friend. "Like he said, it could open up in a few days, but it could also take a whole lot longer."

"You know we don't have time for that." Jack sighed and walked over to the counter where a man dressed in blue was running the convenience shop. "Do you sell cigarettes here?"

"Of course. Although we only have two kinds in stock; Timid Yellows and Comfy Shorts."

"Give me a pack of shorts then."

Jack paid the attendant and nodded his head at Lappe as he went out the door, the Pokemon jumping up to follow after him.

"Don't fuckin' hold out on me now. You best be ready to give me one of those."

"If you had any cash I'd have had you pay for them yourself since you forgot my pack at home. But yeah, sure, you can have one. I'm not exactly loaded at the moment though, so we'll need to make this pack last until we find a way to make some quick cash."

"We could always do what the rest of trainers do and pick fights with another one."

"But we're not trainers, are we?"

"Nah. Well, at least not like the rest of them."

"Obviously."

"But for the sake of getting vengeance… we do have to get stronger…"

"Does that mean we just throw all our morals to the wayside then?"

"Nah man, that's not what I was getting at at all."

"Well let's just not worry about it right now. Once we start hurting for cash it'll probably figure itself out."

Jack took a final puff on his cigarette and then tossed it off into the grass. The miner who'd rushed away earlier was just leaving his tent with his hands over his gut and his face drained of its color.

"Hey man, you doin alright?" Jack walked up to the burly man and began to pat him on the back.

"Y-yeah… I'll be fine, just need to get back to work and get my mind off of things."

"Ah, I see. Well, I think we've made a decision. Do you know where exactly this old road around Mt. Moon is?"

"Yeah, though you won't find it on any normal map and the roads there are more just like guidelines through the mountains rather than actual directions set in stone… though they are actually set in stone… anyways, I'll be back. I've got just the thing for you back in my tent."

The miner made his way back into his temporary house and began to rustle around inside of it, looking for whatever it was he'd decided to give to the duo.

"Got it!" The man shouted out from his tent and then emerged, drenched in sweat and a big smile on his face. "Been holding on to this one for a while, just waiting for my retirement so I could explore Kanto the way they did in the old days… but with the way things've been going, I don't think I'll be able to live out that dream." The man stared down at the rolled up paper in his hand and then up at Jack. "It'll be a hard journey up around the mountain, but if you're adamant about finding a way around quickly then you'll need this. I'm sure you'll get more use out of it than myself. If you open it up, it's actually got a lay of the entire land with old and new paths alike. It should come in handy if you run into another predicament like this one on down the road."

Jack nodded his head and smiled, putting out his hand for the miner to shake. "Hey, thanks man. I really appreciate it."

The miner smiled and then held on firmly to the boy's hand. "Be careful up there. No telling when the last time someone set foot on those paths."

Jack squeezed the man's hand back, though his grip paled in comparison to the much more developed miner's. "As long as I've got Lappe I'm sure we'll be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

"I know he said this path hadn't been taken in a long time, but shit. Ever since we went down this way it's like nothing else even exists." Jack tossed himself against the ground and ran his hand through his hair as he pulled out the map for nearly the twentieth time. "And all these fucking rocks look the same! This map's fucking useless!"

"Chill dude." Lappe threw himself up against a rock that was nearby his friend. The Pokemon looked over the boy's shoulder and pointed one of his fingers at a point of the map labeled 'David's Divide'. "There's a sign up just a little ways more, maybe that's what it's for?"

"If it is, then that means we're still only a third of the way through this shit. And I'm god-damned starving! I could eat a whole Stantler right now if there were any around."

"Let's not get carried away. There might be some regular birds around here somewhere… the map says there's a small lake along the divided path, though it's a few hours in the opposite direction of where we need to actually go."

"Fuck it, that's where we're going. Food or no, I still need a bath and something to drink."

"I suppose I could use a good swim too, it has been a while since I've stretched my gills."

"It's settled then. We get to this divide thing, then head North towards… David's Puddle… who the fuck names these things anyways?"

"Probably someone by the name of David, or at least someone close to them I would assume."

Jack shot a glare at the Pokemon which basically read as, 'I don't have the energy, so don't fucking start with me'. Immediately following, the boy and his Pokemon picked themselves up off of the ground and began to trudge along the mountain path once more.

"...You know, you'd think there would at least be some Pokemon up here. I've been mulling over it for a while, and I understand that most people wouldn't freely venture up here on their own, but Pokemon make their homes pretty much anywhere right?"

"True, I grew up in a rather mountainous part of Johto away from other humans and Pokemon, so the seclusion would make this a rather habitable place for many species. I get where you're coming from and I've been wondering too."

Jack nodded his head. "I figured as much. Stay alert, there may be something else going on here."

"When did you get so formal?"

"I'm not, I'm just… don't worry about it… just make sure you're paying attention to what's around us…"

Lappe waved his hand in the direction of Jack before climbing up onto his back. "Just a little ways more and we'll be at the divide. Are you sure you want to take this side-trip? It could mean we end up in danger."

"Then you'll just have to beat their asses, won't you?"

The Pokemon sighed. "I suppose. It's not like you'd really be able to do anything after all."

"What do you really expect me to do?"

The Pokemon paused, weighing its options. "Sorry."

The two continued on in silence for several more minutes until they'd reached the divide. An old sign sat tucked between two stones with arrows pointing down two separate paths. To the right, Cerulean city lay in wait. To the left, the puddle. Jack looked down both paths, and then turned down the road to the left.

The two continued on until they reached the small reservoir and then took a break. Jack removed his clothes and leapt into the water head first. Lappe took his time, waddling into the water and testing its temperature before fully committing himself to entering into it.

"Now this is refreshing. Fresh and clean mountain water. No people, no Pokemon… maybe when this is over, I'll retire here. Just build up a nice little shack off to the side there, start a little hanging garden and live out the last of my years in solitude."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that last part."

"What do you mean Lappe?"

The Pokemon dove under the water, taking a few minutes before rising back up to the surface. "There's definitely Pokemon around. Down at the bottom there, there seems to be some sort of tunnel. I can see a clear pipe which has Pokemon running through it. I don't think they've noticed us though."

"A clear pipe?" Jack looked confused and then also dove deeper into the water, not having paid much attention upon first entering the pond. Just as Lappe had said, only a few hundred feet down from where they were was a clear pipe. Every few seconds, two or three Pokemon would run through the tube to the other side carrying a box or two each. Jack kicked back up to the surface and gasped for breath. "Amazing, that must be where all the Pokemon are living now."

"Yeah, but why? Why would they all choose to escape underground like that?"

"Who knows. Are you really all that curious to find out right now? We can't even tell what kind of Pokemon they are after all, and if they see us it might spell trouble."

"I'm just concerned that something else might be going on around here. What if they're being forced to work against their will?"

Jack grit his teeth and swam up to shore. "We're not strong enough anyways. There's at least a dozen Pokemon down there and we have no idea who or what they are. We'll come back some other time and deal with it, but for now we just need to move on. There's nothing we can do here now Lappe."

The Pokemon dove back under the water, swimming all the way to the bottom. Lappe pressed his face against the glass of the tunnel and tried to look in both directions. One on end, the tunnel seemed to split open into a much larger area that had a great many more Pokemon in it than a dozen, and on the other end it seemed to continue on for quite some ways.

As Lappe was staring through the glass, a Machamp passed through from the opposite end. The massively muscular Pokemon stepped in front of the Totodile and stared him down. The Machamp turned his head and shouted something, drawing the attention of a number of other Pokemon.

This is exactly what they had hoped to avoid. Without the element of surprise, there was no point in trying to break into the tunnel now. As Lappe turned around to swim back to the surface, he noticed that all of the Pokemon wore a similar badge on their bodies with the letters 'ZR' embroidered on them.

"Jack!" Lappe shot out of the water like a bullet and grabbed onto his friend as he was flinging his shirt around his body in an attempt to dry off somewhat. "We've got to go. Whoever they are, they know we're here now!"

"What! You're fuckin' kidding me man. I told you not to fuck with 'em!"

Jack launched the shirt over his shoulder and shoved his feet into his shoes before picking Lappe up and placing him on his shoulder. The boy picked up a sizable rock and then began to run back the direction that they'd came.

"Just in case, y'know?"

"Quit wasting time Jack! Run faster!"


	11. Chapter 11

By the time the duo had finally stopped running, they were already in the center of Cerulean city. They'd looked back several times but never saw anyone chasing after them, however they didn't exactly want to wait around for someone to finally come along if they were going to.

"So," Jack breathed heavily as he tried to talk, gasping for air in between his words, "I guess, this is, Cerulean, huh?"

Lappe swallowed hard, falling onto the ground as he tried to regain his breath. "Yeah, guess so."

The two laid on the ground for several minutes, trying to regain their composure. Jack rolled over onto his back and looked up at the sky, then at the people who were staring at them curiously while going on their daily business.

"Hey Lappe," Jack whispered, only just now realizing the point to which his lips were chapped, "isn't this supposed to be a sort of beach-y city? I mean, the water-type gym is here isn't it?"

The Pokemon shook its head, trying to fire out a stream of water from its maw but only managing to call forth a few droplets which sprinkled across its face. "Nah, from what I heard on the news, a few months back the old leader retired so she could do some kind of aquatic adventure thing for kids or somethin'. Now it's apparently some chick around your mom's age who uses ice types."

The two fell silent. It had only just happened, so it was hard to remember until it actually came up. The Viridian City bombing happened only four days ago, and the loss of his mother still tugged on Jack's heartstrings every time he thought about her. Lappe's mouth opened, as if he'd wanted to say something. Perhaps an apology for forgetting. But nothing came. The sun shone overhead and after roughly half an hour, the two finally rose to their feet and dusted themselves off.

"Don't get too upset, there's still some hope she's around." Jack muttered to himself, clenching his fist. "We'll go to the Pokemon Center first. I still don't have a ton of money, but we need to stock up on supplies and you need to be healed up before we fight this new leader. My backpack is getting a little light for my comfort, especially when we don't know just how long we're going to be out here. There's a possibility that this could go on for a month, so we might as well get used to it."

As the two entered the Pokemon Center, they were met with a chilling breeze and a room filled with sculptures of what seemed to be a woman surrounded by various ice type Pokemon. In front of each statue, a sign had been placed which described the particular sculpture that it stood in front of. Jack slowly walked up to the nearest statue, his body shaking due to his torn jeans and t-shirt not exactly being meant for travelling in colder areas.

'Sculpture's name: Kris, Our Chilling Heavenly Goddess  
Sculptor's name: Matt Prond  
Dedication: I give this statue to my symbol of perfection, Kris, in hopes that she one day returns my affection.'

"Oookay. Weird." Jack laughed uneasily as he walked over to the next statue nearest to him and read a similar description. "Are all of these like this?"

Lappe nodded his head as he waddled from the back of the Pokemon Center. "Yeah, seems that all of these are dedicated to this Kris woman in one way or another… and almost every sculptor appears to be a man."

"This is… really, really cringey."

An old man came up from behind Jack and slowly read the description of the statue that he was standing in front of. "Ah, looks like the day's batch is in. This Matt guy, he's really something else. Sends in a different statue every day and the quality and detail to attention just gets better with each one. He's one of the more devoted fans of the new leader."

"So this Kris, she's…?"

"Oh yeah, she's really something else. Far more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. Some say that the reason Misty was so popular with the boys was because of the swimsuit she always wore, but getting later in years it just wasn't doing her justice anymore so she gave up her position cold turkey. I say that's a bunch of Tauros dung though. See, Kris is nearly the same age as Misty, but she's almost always fully clothed. There's just something about her that was missing in Misty y'know?"

Jack's eyebrows raised as he stared at the man from the corners of his eyes. "You sound like a real expert on the subject."

The man chuckled. "Of course I would be, I am after all the one who keeps sending her these statues."

The man turned and faced Jack. On his chest was a rather lazily placed name tag which read 'Matt'. Only after really taking the man in could Jack tell just how unlucky he was to get caught up in conversation with him. For one, Matt's clothes were completely soiled. There was no real telling just how long he'd been wearing the same outfit, although he did well to somehow mask the odor until he was right in the boy's face. Secondly, this Matt character was obviously well into his fifties with numerous grey hairs across his body. He struck Jack as the type of person who his mom would have warned him about approaching a few years back.

"That so?" Jack tried to turn away and walk to another statue, hoping to lose his tail without being too rude. Truth be told, he was somewhat afraid of what this man might do if upset. The man of course followed closely behind Jack, watching over his shoulder as he read the inscriptions on each of the signs in the Pokemon Center. Eventually, the boy had given up getting rid of Matt by passing the time. "Look, is there something that you want?"

Matt smiled, showing the handful of orange teeth that he had left. "You're a trainer, aren't you?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. I don't own a single Pokemon."

The man looked at Jack, puzzled. "But isn't that Totodile yours?"

"Nah, Lappe is my friend. We're travelling together and helping each other out."

"Huh, I see." Matt bit his lip, looking more than a bit disappointed. "I suppose there's nothing you can help me with then. See you around kid."

Jack and Lappe both let out a sigh of relief, finally being rid of the stalkerish old man. After they'd ensured that Matt had indeed left the building, they made their way up to Nurse Joy. The boy lifted his friend up onto the counter and motioned for Joy to come over and help him.

"Finally, we can take care of what we came here to do. Let's get you healed up and I'll buy the food and potions. Let's beat this leader and get out of this town as fast as we can. I really don't want to come across that guy again if I don't have to."


	12. Chapter 12

After Lappe's healing and Jack stocking up on supplies, the duo left the confines of the Pokemon Center to a report on the destruction of Viridian City and Pallet Town. The news wasn't giving away any names on who might have been responsible, but instead touched on how the flames which still continued to burn in the area glowed with a rainbow hue, similar to the flames of the legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh.

Jack had been growing more and more impatient as the news story ran on and he awaited Lappe's recovery. He knew who was behind the attacks, so it only irked him further that they were refusing to announce that it was the republic. They deserved whatever backlash was coming their way. If it didn't come from someone else first, then it would definitely be coming from Lappe and Jack.

The moment that Lappe was fully healed and placed back on the counter, Jack snatched the Pokemon by its arm and almost ran out the door. The story on the bombing had passed and was replaced with a report on the rapidly rising number of Pokemon infected with the Pokerus virus over the past week. However, for fear of hearing any more about the incident with Viridian, Jack was more than happy for once, to leave the waiting room and continue on their journey.

Turning almost immediately after exiting the building, Jack made a straight line for the Cerulean gym. Frozen sculptures lined the building's perimeter, and frosty air seeped from beneath the gym's doors. A security officer stood at the building's entrance and held up his hand, motioning for Jack to stop as he drew near.

"Sir, you know you're not allowed in here."

Jack swayed back, caught off guard by the comment. "W-what do you mean I'm not welcome here? I only just came to this city from Pewter. I just want to challenge the leader here and move on with my life."

The security officer shook his head. "No, not you. The man hiding in your shadow."

"The wha?" Jack turned around and, sure enough, Matt was there cowering behind him with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey there friend. Just lookin' to get inside y'know?"

"Sir," the officer began again, "you know that there's a restraining order in place now. You're not allowed inside the building any longer."

"But this boy," the old man stood tall, walking out in front of Jack and then swinging his arm out towards the boy, "this is my friend. I've already told him I was going to see him off to his battle with Kris you see? He came to me in the Pokemon Center and grew frightened of the girl when he laid eyes on my sculptures. I told him that she's not nearly as intimidating as the ice makes her out to be and that I would be happy to show him in and be his rock."

The officer stared at the man, his head tilted lazily to the side as his eyes glossed over, apparently having seen a similar routine at least once before. "Son," the officer looked over at Jack and then sighed, "is what he says true?"

Jack looked between the two as he chewed the inside of his lip. Matt's eyes were alight with a shimmering flame as he awaited Jack's response to the officer. The sculptor's eyes darted quickly between the boy and the officer, and his head gently nudged in the direction of this officer whose own eyes were clouded with doubt and irritation. Jack could tell that the officer had had just about enough of Matt's behavior and was ready to toss him away at the drop of a hat.

As ruthless as he could have been, as quickly as he could have cut all the ties between Matt and himself, Jack just couldn't bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was a sort of fear of the unknown, not quite sure of what this old man was capable of and knowing the limits of his own powers. Jack took in a deep breath and then put on a smile.

"Yeah, this is my friend Matt. He said he'd help me out in my fight, so could you please let him in with me?"

The security officer sighed and then placed his hand over his eyes, rubbing at his temples. "I suppose, if that's how it really is then I can't object. It's a shame a kid of your age doesn't keep better company."

Jack shrugged his shoulders lazily and then walked through the door of the gym. Matt followed close behind and taunted the security officer who shot him a deadly glare which most likely read 'I dare you to try anything'. Matt rushed to catch up with the boy who he'd used to make it inside the building and slapped his hand across the boy's back.

"Haa haa! I knew it! I knew I could count on you kid! I took one look at you and I just knew you were a trainer, I knew you were someone I could count on! I can't believe I'm finally back in here!"

Lappe rubbed at Jack's now bruised back as the boy scratched at his own neck. "So, what did you do in the first place to get kicked out of here?"

"Well, sort of a long story. The short of it all's that I was part of the construction team that renovated this place for Kris when she took charge. Me 'n her actually went on a couple of dates after the completion. I helped to make her up some nice lil statues of herself and her Pokemon, then she goes and dumps me when all's said and done! Needless to say, I tried to confront her about it and she starts screaming for help. One thing leads to the other, now I'm just not allowed around her pretty much at all. Which, is why I'm so thankful for you! I at the very least wanted to see her one more time in person and then also get back the Pokemon I left last time I spent the night here."

Jack nodded his head, wondering what kind of relationship this man and Kris actually had. Just a few feet ahead, a wall of statues dedicated to Kris and ice type Pokemon lingered. In the center of the row of statues was a recessed button, which after Jack pressed it caused the entire wall to shift into the floor. The room opened up immensely afterwards, revealing an entirely ice covered arena with a large glacier in the back of the room which had a woman standing atop it.

"Teal hair, blue eyes, skin tight yellow track shorts, black crop top and perfectly proportioned bosom… that's my Kris alright."

"Matt! What the hell are you doing here! What am I even paying security for if they can't even keep one measly old man out of my sight?"

"Look Kris, I just want my Pokemon and to talk about that night…"

"That night never happened! You used me you old geezer!"

"I used you? The hell do you mean? You used me to build you half this fuckin' gym!"

Kris' eyes narrowed and her mouth twitched, ready to blow Matt up with a strong line of words when she noticed the young boy standing just slightly behind him. "Who's that?"

"My ticket in." He whispered to himself before turning around and smiling at the boy. "This is Jack, a Pokemon Trainer here to take on your gym."

"But I'm not-" Jack began before being cut off by the flailing arm of the sculptor.

"So, you're a trainer huh? Well then, sorry for not making a great first impression. Really just wasn't expecting to see this old fart before his funeral. So, what'd he say or do to get you to bring him in here?"

Jack bit his lip, and diverted his eyes. He didn't know much about love or its trials, but he did know this was one conversation he shouldn't weigh in on.

Kris sighed. "Fine, what do you want old man? The sooner you can get out of here the sooner I can battle Jack and move on with this part of my life."

"I just told you, I want my Pokemon back and to-"

"You can have your Pokemon, _if_ that boy can beat me in battle. And we're not ever going to talk about that night, so just give it up. We both had too many fermented pokeblocks for our own good and we both know what happened was a mistake, so just move on already."

"You can't hold my Pokemon ransom like that!"

"Oh come on Matt, have a little more faith in your 'ticket' wouldn't you?" Kris smiled, watching her words pierce through the sculptor.

"Fine."

Kris nodded. "It's a deal then. Jack, are you ready for our battle?"

Jack's eyes moved slowly between the two people in front of him. "Wow, so all gym leaders really are this immature. Here I thought it was just Forrest"

"Oh yeah, that's right I almost forgot. I was expecting a boy named Jack a day or so ago." The gym leader completely blew off the boy's comment and carried the conversation in her own direction. "Forrest had called ahead and let me know what was going on. You wouldn't happen to be that same one would you? I believe he said you'd have something for me."

"Yeah, hold on just a sec." Jack pulled the pack off of his back and tossed it to the ground. The boy haphazardly pulled everything from the bag and tossed it against the floor, searching for the note that the Pewter City gym leader had given to him. "Here it is." Jack walked up to Kris and handed her the note.

The leader opened the letter, quickly reading through what was written inside. "I see, most interesting. So that Totodile doesn't actually belong to you, huh? I'd be careful about that. It's great and all to have a moral code and try to friends with your Pokemon, etcetera etcetera, but there's people out there in this world that wouldn't think twice about stealing him away from you with a ball of their own. Anyways, I understand fully now what's going on. On your way here you should have grown a little stronger at least, so I'll set the bar higher for you than what I normally would."

Jack looked down at Lappe, wondering if they should tell Kris that they actually hadn't had any encounters on the way to Cerulean save for the underwater tunnel system. The Totodile simply shook its head, its gaze locked with Jack's and they understood. If they were to get strong enough to fight the republic, these challenges were necessary. They couldn't stick to the basic routine of a trainer, they needed to push themselves harder and accept whatever was thrown their way.

Finally, after a long pause, Jack nodded his head. "That's fine. We'll take your heightened challenge."

Kris smiled back at the two of them and then walked away. "That's just what I like to hear! Very well then!" The woman had made her way back to the glacier and had already started to climb up it. "I will give to you the challenge reserved for those trainers bearing at least three badges. While we're fighting, imagine that this is the halfway mark of your journey. You've already travelled over half of the region and met a great number of Pokemon and Trainers alike, and now, finally you come face to face with the mysterious and beautiful ice type leader, Kris! Your challenge begins now Jack and Lappe! Face me with all that you have and overcome your own limits!"


	13. Chapter 13

The leader gripped a pokeball which seemed to be made out of the very ice which it was set in. The woman twirled around and pressed her lips against the back of the ball, causing a red light to shoot forth from it. The red line grew into a small red shape as the Pokemon formed from it.

Within seconds, a small white bear Pokemon with an icicle hanging from it's nose appeared. "C-c-cubchoo!" The small bear sneezed, firing the icicle from it's nose. The Pokemon rubbed at the sides of its snout with its tiny paws, causing a glob of blue liquid to start running from the tiny nostrils of the Pokemon.

"Cubchoo may be a cutie, but don't for a second underestimate its strength. There's a reason that every one of my Pokemon are on their respective teams and my little bear friend is no exception."

Jack nodded, sizing up the Pokemon which was nearly the same size as Lappe. The boy wondered what kind of moves it would be utilizing and just how strong it as well as the rest of the Pokemon Kris was planning to use would be. Cubchoo was surely the weakest of the team, but there was no doubt that it would be far stronger than anything they'd fought before.

"We of course only have each other, so there won't be any flashy entrances for us." Lappe waddled out into the icy arena, scratching at the top of his head as he spoke. "Like you said, just because I'm small and cute you shouldn't underestimate me… or Jack."

"Strength can only truly come in numbers kiddos. No matter how powerful any single Pokemon, or trainer's will, you can only go so far by yourselves. Even against me, you shall fall victim to that fact. A single Pokemon cannot fight without end. In the rain, even the most stalwart of stones will erode away."

"That's enough talking. Now you're just pissing me off."

Kris smiled having received the reaction she'd wanted. "Let us fight then. Cubchoo! Hone Claws!"

The tiny bear seemed to puff out its chest slightly at its trainer's command before extending its claws ever so slightly. With a grunt, the Cubchoo began to vigorously scrape its paws against the icy arena floor, gouging out sizable ruts in the ice while also sharpening its claws to a fine edge.

"Don't let him get away with that Lappe!"

The Totodile nodded, rushing up to the tiny bear as it began to scrape its claws at an even faster pace. Kris' face tensed as she awaited the attack, knowing that her own Pokemon wouldn't have completed their preparations before Lappe arrived with its now shadow laden claw. The second the move made contact, Cubchoo was sent flying off towards one of the various chunks of ice which were erected around the arena. The bear let out a cry as the impact cracked the glacier and caused part of it to split and slide off from the other side. Cubchoo winced as it rose to its feet, bruised but not beaten. The Pokemon extended and retracted its claws repeatedly, flashing the finely honed edges as it smirked.

"That was a good hit, possibly even a critical. But no matter. Cubchoo's claws are now far more powerful than they were before and it can surely beat out any attack that you can throw its way! Cubchoo! Throw those punches until you can't anymore!"

The Pokemon nodded, its eyes narrowing. "Choo!" Cubchoo rushed at Lappe who was hopping away in reverse, hoping to outspeed the tiny bear. But the arena's advantage was in the leader's favor as the Pokemon slid across the ice in between its steps, causing it to quickly close the distance between itself and Lappe.

The Totodile powered up its claw again, hoping to negate whatever attack was coming with its own. Cubchoo clenched its paw into a fist and then launched it at Lappe who quickly deflected it with his own shadow claw. However, the Totodile wasn't ready for the remaining volley of increasingly powerful punches which came its way. One, two, three, four, all the way to fifteen. Punch after punch came at Lappe who was finding himself unable to do anything against the onslaught. The Totodile deflected every other one, but for every one deflected, another came from the opposite direction. Finally, after the fifteenth punch landed, Cubchoo's fists were glowing with a brilliant light and the Pokemon itself seemed to be radiating confidence whereas Lappe was beaten and bruised, ready to throw in the towel already.

"Don't give up Lappe! We have to win! There's no other choice here! Keep on fighting!"

The Totodile looked over at Jack and gave him a lazy thumb's up before turning back towards the Cubchoo. Lappe looked at his own reflection in the ice and then let out a half-hearted laugh as it swayed its head from side to side before leveling its gaze back at the Cubchoo. "This is over now."

Kris smiled and then threw out her arm. "Cubchoo! Show these kids what it truly means to have a Pokemon battle! Finish this, now! Aerial Ace!"

The small white bear ran back towards Kris and then leaped up onto the glacier upon which she stood before jumping off to another one which was nearby. The Pokemon continued to jump between glaciers and ice sculptures until it was directly next to Lappe. The Cubchoo pulled its arms back, ready to release all of the pent up strength at the Totodile.

Lappe smirked as the blast of water escaped its mouth at rocket speeds, forcing the Cubchoo away from him. The Pokemon continued to fly through the air, propelled by the unrelenting stream of water pouring forth from the Totodile's mouth all the way until it had left the arena.

"Tch." Kris' smile faded as she pointed the Pokeball towards her defeated Pokemon who was also clearly unhappy with the outcome of the battle. The Cubchoo let out an angry roar as it turned back into a red beam of light and was drawn back to its ball. "I guess I can give you that one. An out of bounds is a cheap way to win and won't work in the real world though."

"Yeah kid! You go! Beat that bitch down and get me my Pokemon!" The old man was jumping for joy at the duo's victory, but nobody in the room seemed to want to acknowledge his existence. Not even Kris flinched at his sudden and annoying outburst.

"This next one won't be so easy though." The leader picked up another ball from within the glacier she was standing on and pressed the button. "Go, Lapras!" The massive Pokemon exploded from its Pokeball, appearing somewhat out of place in the completely frozen arena.

The Pokemon wasted no time in firing off a mighty beam from the horn upon its head. Lappe began to rush around the arena, recognizing the power of the attack and hoping to find shelter. The Pokemon's beam traced all across the arena, tearing apart the icy layer and revealing that in the remodeling of the gym, the ice had only been placed atop the old gym's pool.

In the blink of an eye, all of the places where the beam had traced exploded outwards, causing chunks of ice and large amounts of icy cold water to fly about in all directions. The Totodile and Lapras fell helplessly into the pool, followed close behind by the numerous glaciers and ice statues which had once dotted the arena.

"Now begins the true battle. Witness the true power of ice Pokemon and tremble, Jack! No other gym sports an arena quite like mine, and only I have the cunning necessary to utilize it to its fullest! Give in, or writhe in despair as your friend is forced to succumb for you!"


	14. Chapter 14

Lapras and Lappe swam circles around each other in the water, their eyes locked as the pool began to swirl about from their synchronized movements. The chunks of ice which had previously made up the floor, had now all sunk to the bottom of the arena which was an unlit pit of slush due to the temperature at that depth being chilled to a near-freezing point.

"Jack, as a trainer you're quite lacking." Kris ran her hand through her hair, flipping it to the side as she smiled. "You'll get nowhere if you keep letting Lappe do all the work."

Jack stared her down, slowly becoming more and more irritated at everyone saying the same thing about his bond with the Totodile. "Lappe is his own Pokemon. He can make his own decisions, and is more than capable of taking out more than his fair share of Pokemon all on his own."

"It doesn't matter what your relationship is, Jack. Pokemon need the help of their trainers. Otherwise, they'll stay locked in never-ending conflict as they are now. As we speak, our Pokemon are helplessly staring at one and other, swimming in circles as they search for strategies on their own. Without our help, they'll-"

Kris' speech was cut short as a burst of water erupted from the pool, drenching her with the slush from the bottom of the arena. Lappe leapt out from the water and landed on one of the few floating chunks of ice, a ring of similar chunks floated around him as the Lapras slowly rose to the surface as well. As the horn on the Pokemon's head broke the surface, a freshly incurred bruise could be seen slightly below its left eye before its whole body began to glow. In seconds, a ring of ice similar to Lappe's had formed and was hovering the shell on the Lapras' back.

"So, they came to an agreement." Kris scowled and then threw out her arm, "Lapras! Use Hyper Beam once more!"

The Pokemon's horn quickly lit up as the powerful energies built up within it once more. Lappe lethargically dove back into the water, the chunks of ice hovering around the Totodile's body seemingly hindering its movement. The beam erupted from the Lapras' horn, trailing across the room in wild and uncontrolled movements as the chunks of ice hovering around its shell fired off into the water, homing in on the unseen Totodile which was swimming somewhere below it. The Hyper Beam traced across the ceiling, cutting open a small opening in it before the Lapras dove into the water, giving chase to the Totodile while its beam continued to fire off randomly from beneath the surface.

The battle raged on from the unseen depths. Ice clashed against ice, Pokemon struck Pokemon and the waters began to swirl into a whirlpool, filled with the rage of the warring Pokemon. The Lapras rode along the twirling waves as Lappe leaped across the watery vortex, firing off water guns and chunks of ice at the Pokemon as it flew.

"That's enough!" Kris stood on the edge of her glacier, her eyes on fire as she grit her teeth. Her arm flew out in front of her with a powerul gust of chilly wind as something within her chest shimmered. "Lapras! Use Blizzard!"

In an instant, the entire arena froze over once more. The water froze solid, retaining the whirlpool shape and trapping both Pokemon within it. The Lapras cried out to it's trainer as it struggled to free itself from the icy prison of its own creation. A red beam struck the Pokemon as it was withdrawn back into it's ball. Kris smiled as she stared at the still helpless Lappe.

"Glalie, I choose you." the Pokemon burst free from it's ball, staring with a menacing smile at Lappe as well. "You did well to fight against my Lapras on near equal terms, Lappe and Jack. But now, I shall show you the true form of my power."

Jack grit his teeth as Lappe continued to struggle against the frozen whirlpool. No matter the attack that the Totodile used, the ice refused to nudge against his strength. Jack looked down the frozen vortex, trying to decide on how he should head down to his friend.

"Let me ask you, Jack. What do you know of mega evolution?"

Jack averted Kris' gaze as he slowly lowered himself into the funnel of ice, the ice heal gripped firmly in his left hand as he slid down the side of the ice, catching himself with his right as he neared the stranded Totodile.

"Don't worry man, I got you. It's a good thing I spent out money on these potions and all while we were at the Pokemon Center earlier."

"Mega evolution. Mega Pokemon." Kris leapt from her perch and slid down the vortex of ice. "A powerful transformation of a pokemon's abilities available only to a select few. Have you ever seen it in action before?"

Jack shook his head as he applied the warm liquid to the ice directly around Lappe's body. "Not that I can remember."

"But I have…" Lappe whispered as his gaze rose to Kris and the Pokemon behind her. "It's an unfair advantage available to a select few, as you said. The stones are so rare, that the Silph Company once manufactured balls capable of capturing any Pokemon to such a degree that they were able to acquire a great number of the stones in exchange for them."

Kris smiled. "You sure are educated, for a Pokemon. Yes, as you said, a few years ago the silph company manufactured a great number of the master balls which they had at once denounced, solely for the purpose of using them as bargaining chips for gathering the stones. They scoured the lands, negotiating trades with trainers of all different walks of life who were lucky enough to find the stones for themselves. Around that time, there was also a large influx of powerful trainers due to the mass production of the master balls. The greatest League championship was held at that time, seeing the inclusion of well over a hundred trainers who had at once held stones for themselves. Their power bad increased nominally due to being able to capture any Pokemon they desired, but no amount of bolstered numbers can outlclass the advantage of a mega stone."

Jack stood up, finally having freed Lappe from his prison as well. "Now that you mention it, I do remember that competition. There was only one trainer among the regular participants who had a Pokemon which could change it's form into something more powerful… what was their name…"

Kris' lips split into a smile as she pulled from her chest a necklace. The item began to glow as her Glalie rolled down the ice towards her. "Yes, what was _her_ name, Jack?"

The trainer slowly turned around, his eyes widening as he remembered. "The Johto trainer, Kris."


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey, Jack! Don't sweat it man! Mega evolution is just a weak excuse of a tactic to make pathetic Pokemon stronger!" Matt smiled a mostly toothless grin as he cheered on the young trainer. "You've already come so far, so don't give up just yet! Who cares what else she has up her sleeves, cuz I've already seen beneath them!" The old man slapped his knee and began to laugh heartily as his face turned bright red.

The gym's leader took a step back, the spikes hidden within the platforms of her shoes now apparent as she easily scaled the icy walls. Her face was hidden, but Jack could tell it was a mixture of rage and embarrassment. Her hands were clenched into fists, the chain holding the mega stone dangled from her right hand as she neared the top of the vortex.

"Gla-Glalie." The woman's face was bright red and frustrated tears were welling up in her eyes. She shook her head vigorously from side to side and then rubbed the back of her arm across her face. "Glalie! Mega evolve now!" The stone in Kris' hand grew immediately brighter, shining bright like a star in the sky as her final Pokemon took on a similar glow. "You'll embarrass me no longer, Matt. Glalie, do it."

The Pokemon continued to glow, its form changing as it turned towards the elderly man. A blue light gathered around where its mouth had once been. The old man's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. Matt gathered what few belongings he had on him and ran towards Kris' glacier, diving behind it as the powerful icy beam erupted from the newly formed Pokemon's maw.

The Glalie hovered slightly above the ground, its face a frightening sight, its mouth formed into a permanent, menacing grin. An icy mist hung around the Pokemon's body, condensing around the frozen spikes across it. The Pokemon slowly turned, focusing its attention once more on Jack and Lappe. Kris slowly scaled her glacier once more, once more paying no attention to Matt as the color faded from her cheeks.

"This is it boys. My final Pokemon, the final challenge for you to overcome. I wonder, how will you handle it? This Glalie is among the top percentage of all that I currently own, and its powers are complemented perfectly by the new layout of my gym. I hope you're ready."

The Mega Pokemon's mouth lowered, allowing for more of the icy mist to escape from its body. Jack scrambled up the walls, leaving Lappe behind to fend for himself. The Totodile did a quick stretch and then locked his gaze with the Glalie's, spitting on the ground next to him as a taunt. The ice type Pokemon let out a low growl as it began to slowly spin about in place before rolling forward, full speed down the slope towards the much smaller Pokemon.

Lappe fired off a water gun, propelling himself forward as he readied for the head on collision that awaited him. His claws began to glow with a shadowy aura as he turned his body, allowing one of the numerous frozen points on the Glalie to narrowly miss, while his own attack shaved away a thin layer of the ice armor from its body. The Totodile landed on the other side of the slope, digging its claws into the ice as it held its position, biding his time as he awaited the Glalie's next move.

"Lappe, I don't want to question you but… what are you doing?" Jack called out nonchalantly as the Glalie roared up the side of the slope where the boy was standing. A powerful gust of wind followed behind the Pokemon as it shot into the sky, only to slowly fall back down with much more momentum than it had had before. Jack took a step backwards as the wind hit him, taking him completely by surprise.

"Now's not the time Jack!" Lappe shouted back as his eyes followed the Pokemon on its flight path. "This one's a whole lot tougher than I am, and as it is I can't even use half of my moves effectively since I'm on this frozen slope."

"Only half, you say?" Kris smiled as she shot a glance at her Glalie.

Lappe tensed his body, preparing for whatever was to come next. The Glalie was now barreling towards him once more with even greater speed and rotation than before. The Pokemon fired off another water gun, propelling itself away from the wall it had attached itself to and towards the Pokemon, hoping to continue on with its previous tactic.

As the distance between the two Pokemon closed, the Glalie ceased its spinning as it rolled immediately to the side of where the Totodile had attempted to shift. Lappe immediately cut off its first attack and attempted to fire off another water gun directly at the Pokemon's face as they both continued to rush together. However, as soon as the Totodile attempted another attack, the Glalie let out a mighty roar which caused a red-ish ring to escape from its mouth and attach itself to the much smaller water type.

"What the hell?" Lappe shouted as his water gun failed, causing him to smash head first into the Glalie. The ice type rolled over the small Pokemon and continued on, uncontrollably in the same direction, its speed having dropped by only a small amount. "Why won't my water gun work?" The Totodile continued to struggle with firing off its attack, bringing itself to the point of vomiting as it continuously attempted to call forth water from deep within its body. Each time the Pokemon attempted to use its attack, the red ring which had now tightened around its neck shone brightly.

"Disable." Kris smiled as the Glalie fell back into the icy slope after having come up on her side, its speed now much more decreased as it attempted to regain control over itself. "It's an attack that disallows the use of an enemy's attack. Quite handy for for taking down someone such as yourself, wouldn't you say?" The Glalie slowly rolled towards Lappe, its smile even more menacing than before as the mist coming from its mouth began to solidify to a single point within its body.

Lappe finished heaving as he slowly rose to his feet. His whole body was shaking, and every swallow burned his throat. "You intend to finish me in a single shot then?" The Pokemon scoffed, its claws beginning to glow once more. "Fuckin' try it."

The Glalie's eyes narrowed as the beam of ice erupted from its mouth. Lappe dug his heels into the ground, but still was pushed back several feet. His claws were thrown up in front of his face, shielding his body from the icy blast as he leaned forward, bracing himself against the chilling attack.

"I won't give up." The Totodile slowly inched its right foot forward by a few inches, his eyes clenched shut as he struggled against the much stronger Pokemon. "I won't give in." The Pokemon's left foot followed the right, inching even further ahead of it as Lappe's legs began to glow with a blinding light. "No matter what you do." He pushed forward, with only slightly less effort than before as the light began to spiral up his entire body. "I have a promise to uphold, and vengeance to be had. I may not be human, but for what it's worth, she was my mom too… I can't let them get away with what they've done."

Lappe's entire body became engulfed in the light as his slowly grew taller and slightly more round. The ghostly claws grew denser, and with newfound strength, the Totodile batted away the ice beam. The Glalie poured more strength into the attack as its opponent closed the distance, slamming its claws against the the oncoming attack and causing it to shatter and fly off in all different directions. The glow around Lappe slowly began to fade, but not before he'd reached the Glalie and began to dig his claws into the icy Pokemon.

"I won't!" The Pokemon grunted as its claws inched around to the Glalie's sides, digging in as deep as he could reach. Lappe began to scream out as he arched his back, attempting to lift the Pokemon into the sky. The light disappeared around his feet, spiraling away from his body in the same way that it had come and revealing that he was no longer the same Pokemon as before.

"Glalie!" Kris shouted out, her eyes wide at Lappe's display of strength. "Don't let them win! Finish this already!"

"Gla!" The Pokemon grunted, its own body immediately filling with a blinding light. The icy spikes around the Pokemon's body retreated inside of it as the light grew far brighter than what had just been consuming Lappe. "Liiiiieeeee!"


	16. Chapter 16

"Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

Nurse Joy shook her head. "I'm sorry Jack, but because it happened while the effects of evolution were taking place, there's really nothing that we can do. If it had happened before, or after, we could always heal it. But… the fact of the matter is… it's just not there anymore. The form he's in now, doesn't even recognize that something should exist on that part of his body."

"Dammit!" Jack screamed out as he pounded on the table. "It's all my fault! If I'd have just let it go and accepted that she was too strong for us after the second fight, we could have avoided all of this!"

"Hey kid, don't beat yourself up." Matt placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, his own waist now filled with over a dozen different pokeballs. "After your fight, I had a little talk with her. Kris… she… well, she feels awful about what happened. She admitted to me that you got the worst of her. Your battle dug up emotions that she thought she'd laid to rest a long time ago. You made her anxious and caused her to worry that she might lose to what is basically, a wild Pokemon."

Jack stayed quiet, his eyes filling with tears as Lappe lay unconscious in front of him within the recovery machine. His entire body shimmered with a pink-ish light as the healing took effect. "Lappe, I'm sorry."

The Pokemon's eyes opened into slits as he rolled over onto his left side. The Pokemon attempted to wave at his friend, yet despite his efforts, nothing happened. The Totodile which had evolved during battle into a Croconaw, tilted its head backwards as it searched fruitlessly for its right arm. Lappe dropped his head back as he rolled onto his back, and then onto his right side, his body shaking softly.

"I'm sorry Lappe!" Jack called out, pressing his hand against the glass of the window. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have let you fight alone! It's all my fault!"

"Get him out of here! He's going to disturb the other patients!" Nurse Joy waved her arms at Matt and the boy as she strode towards them, shoo-ing them down the hall towards the exit.

Jack erupted into tears as he sat in the lobby. He buried his face in his hands, unable to accept the results of recent occurrences. Matt placed his hand once more on the boy's shoulder and then pressed his other hand against his chest.

"Jack, I know you're upset and it's going to take some time to get over this, but I appreciate what you did for me nonetheless. I don't really know what all happened in that battle… or how, or why Lappe pushed himself as hard as he did, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I know that right now you need some time to yourself, and I'm going to give that to you." The old man removed his hand from the boy's chest, revealing the newly pinned cerulean badge. "I'll be in the next city down. Head to Vermillion whenever you're ready. There's no rush though." The old man patted the boy's back and firmly squeezed his shoulder as he rose to his feet, his other hand dropping an item into Jack's backpack, unbeknownst to him. "Jack, whatever you do, don't beat yourself up over this. It's not entirely your fault, but everyone's. Including mine, since I'm the one who dragged you in to that battle to begin with… but I'm done with the up and comers now. You're the only one I plan to root for now, Jack." Matt smiled at the boy, who refused to remove his hands from his face as the tears continued to run, gushing from between his fingers as a mixture with snot and spit.

Matt slowly walked away, adjusting the belt at his waist before pulling from it a Pokeball. The man walked out of the Pokemon Center and released the Pokemon held within the ball before climbing onto its back and flying away, leaving Jack alone in the sculpture filled room.


	17. Chapter 17

For the past four days, the two had stayed in their respective rooms, making next to no contact with the other save for Lappe's single phone call to the hotel where Jack had been staying. The first night after he'd regained consciousness had been dedicated to the Croconaw coming to terms with his loss. Lappe had been confined to his room in the Pokemon Center while the Nurse walked him through rehabilitation and attempted to acclimate him to the change for three straight days. When the Pokemon finally called for Jack to pick him up there had grown a palpable divide in their relationship.

The duo stepped out of the Pokemon Center in silence, both trying their best not to lock gazes with the other. The Croconaw's missing arm threw his balance off, causing his walk to turn more into a waddle as they slowly made their way to the southern wall of the city. Jack's eyes kept drifting to the smooth surface of the Pokemon's shoulder before he could catch himself.

Lappe's jaw dropped, and for a moment, nothing came from it. Jack had quickly averted his gaze, hoping that the Pokemon hadn't caught him in the act. The boy recalled a study on how a Pokemon's behaviour and personality could go through drastic changes upon evolution, and quite frankly was afraid of how his friend might have changed in the time since their battle with Kris. The silence persisted, until at last Lappe clasped his jaw shut and exhaled slowly from his nostrils, his eyes lowering to the ground as his pace slowed even further.

"Jack…" Lappe whispered, falling steadily more and more behind his friend.

The boy stopped, chills running along his spine as his palms grew sweaty. "Yeah?" Jack's back stayed facing against Lappe as he replied.

"I think…" The Pokemon talked slowly as the distance between the duo closed at a snail's pace. "Jack, what are we doing?"

The question caught him off guard. "What do you mean?" Jack was sure that Lappe was going to let him have it. Lappe was going to just go all out and rail on him for having failed as a friend, letting him fight alone and get hurt alone in the way that he did. But, when the Pokemon spoke, it was neither of those things. The boy turned slightly, looking at the Croconaw from the corner of his eye as it approached.

"What are we doing? Where are we going? What's our motive, Jack? What's even the point in going to the Republic's headquarters?"

Jack turned fully around, facing his friend. "Lappe…" images of the exploding Seedot flooded his mind. The fear and anger that came with knowing they'd been part of the reason that so many had been put in danger, hurt and even killed flared in his nostrils and across his cheeks as his eyes began to burn. "Lappe, it's our fault. Everything is our fault. Whether we want to accept it or not, we have to take revenge for the people whose lives we inadvertently stole away. Besides, it's not as if we have a choice anyways. We've no home to return to."

Lappe's eyes slowly rose, meeting with Jack's. The two stared at each other for several seconds until the Croconaw blinked, nodding his head as it fell back towards the ground. "I suppose, but… why us? Was it really just because of us that they bombed those cities?"

"I'm sure there were a number of things, but-"

"Then why do we have to be the ones to pay the price? Just because we were the feather that broke the camel's back, that doesn't mean we should take full responsibility for it."

"That's true, but in this world that we live in-"

"I know… I said as much myself, once upon a time. The people of this world, at this time, lack the power to evade these sorts of conflicts. We've just reached that point in our history… but, why… why? We've been proven twice already that we lack the power necessary to make a difference, so why do you keep pushing?" Tears welled up in the Pokemon's eyes, which eventually fell to the ground and quickly began to puddle.

Jack's throat ran dry as he continuously swallowed, struggling to find the correct and necessary words. "I just-"

As the boy started to speak, he was interupted by numerous shouts coming from distance down the southern path from where he was standing. Male and female trainers quickly came into sight as they fondled their Pokeballs, desperately trying to release the Pokemon trapped inside to no avail. The trainers dropped capsule after capsule as they rushed along the road, eventually dropping their holsters entirely as they grew nearer to Jack and Lappe.

"We've got to get Jenny! There's nothing else we can do! That Pokemon, it's just too strong!"

As the trainers disappeared down the path from which the duo had already came, Jack reached down and picked up one of the discarded Pokeballs that were nearby. He held it up to the light, seeing a miniature version of a Nidorino held inside. Puzzled, he tried repeatedly to press the button in the center of the ball in hopes of releasing the Pokemon. Each time the button was pressed in, it stuck for a moment and made a clicking sound, but didn't open.

"Weird." Jack rubbed his head as he rolled the ball around in his hands, searching for whatever the reason for the malfunction was.

"Pokeballs…" a deep and ominous voice echoed from down the path where the trainers had just been running. A cracking sound followed soon after, which in turn was followed by a red light firing high into the sky. "Pokeballs…" Once more a cracking sound echoed, and a red beam erupted into the sky.

Jack turned to look at Lappe, only to see the Pokemon shake its head to the side as it wiped away the tears from its face. "Let me see the ball… that light… it seems somewhat reminiscent of the light emitted from the Pokeballs when releasing a Pokemon."

"Yeah, I think you're right… but what about the cracking sound?" Jack held out his hand to the Croconaw, thankful that their conversation had been put on hold for the moment. The Pokeball rolled out of his palm and into Lapp's single palm.

The Pokemon placed the ball on the ground and rolled it around for a few seconds before picking it back up and holding it up against the sun. "Look," he whispered to Jack as he groped at the back of his friend's shirt.

The boy took the ball from the Croconaw and helped the Pokemon up onto his shoulder, with a small amount more difficulty than before due to the added weight its evolution gave to it. "What am I looking for?" Jack extended his arm into the sky, placing the ball directly in front of the sun as he spun it around with his fingertips.

"There." Lappe pointed one of his fingers at the tiniest of cracks which covered only about two inches in total, but included part of the button and both sides of the Pokeball within its length.

"Amazing, isn't it?" The voice called out once more, although this time it was much, much closer.

The duo turned quickly, searching the area around them for the voice's source.

"Who is it?" Jack shouted back, his eyes darting wildly between the faroff treelines.

A Pokemon, which was not much bigger than a human baby crawled out from one of the various trainer's discarded backpacks and smiled. The Pokemon held a steel crowbar in its left hand and was tapping it against the palm of its right as it stepped closer to the duo, kicking a single Pokeball further ahead of it as it walked. As the Pokemon grew nearer, a brand could be made out on its chest. Between the veiny rings around its shoulders, an R had been carved into its chest, and then was surrounded by three other letters which seemed to have been burned into the Pokemon's skin at a later date; F, K, and P.

"The name's Eff. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a Timburr, and a member of the FKPR."

The Pokemon lazily whacked the Pokeball in front of it with its crowbar, crushing the ball and violently releasing the Pokemon in the process. The released Ponyta hurriedly looked back and forth between the Timburr and the duo, its legs shaking as it took a few steps away and then back towards the group. Eff raised his crowbar at the Pokemon quickly and in a threatening manner, causing the Ponyta to rear up before dashing off towards Cerulean city.

"My main deal is liberation of Pokemon. The bolstering of my master's numbers." The Timburr reached its hands into another of the bags nearby and pulled out a miniature leather jacket and a pair of of pointy, black sunglasses. Eff donned the gear and then smiled at Jack and Lappe, before leveling his crowbar at them. "Although, I've been given strict orders by my superior officer to be on the lookout for a boy matching your description travelling alongside a domesticated Totodile who sits without a ball. You may not fit the bill perfectly there, seeing as how you've got a Croconaw instead, but… there's a promotion in line for me if I come back successful, so I'll take my chances."


	18. Chapter 18

Lappe leaned backwards, falling lazily from Jack's shoulder as the Timburr took a few more steps forward, mimicked in opposite by the human boy.

"So, you're one of the Republic then?" Lappe waddled awkwardly from behind his friend, his eyes still set on the ground.

Eff smiled, "Yes, although not originally. I was rescued from a certain... other... organization by our Leader, Mewtwo." The Timburr closed its eyes and tapped the crowbar against its hand once more as it inhaled deeply, his smile disappearing momentarily. "Those are dark times that I would… rather leave in the past." The Pokemon's eyes opened and the smile returned to its face. "Why do you ask? You couldn't be familiar with us, could you?" The Pokemon chuckled quietly to itself as Lappe continued to waddle in its direction.

"As a matter of fact…" Lappe threw his left arm behind himself, covering it in a ghostly aura as he glanced down at his right. "We've got a bit of a debt to settle with them." The Croconaw raised its head and stared straight into the eyes of the Timburr across from him.

"Oooh, I like those eyes. Dull and empty, nearly devoid of emotion, much like mine before the Republic found me." The Pokemon put the crowbar behind its back and then began to twist from side to side. "Tell me, what is it that keeps you with that human, and what has your life been like while you've been by his side? Has it been fun for you, fighting all of his battles for him? Taking all of the hits while he sat idly by waiting for you to either fall or return to his hand?"

Lappe stepped forward, his eyes drifting to his side as he listened to the words of the Timburr. As he drew nearer, Eff flung the crowbar around from behind him, spinning it around in the air above him in a circle. The Croconaw shook his head and grit his teeth, leaping at the opposing Pokemon. "None of that matters right now. All that matters, is that you're part of the reason we've ended up like this!"

The Timburr smiled wildly, a light shone upon its eyes as the crowbar spinning above its head began to glow with a fiery red light. Lappe's claw rushed for Eff's face, only to be knocked away by the spinning crowbar. The Croconaw continued forward, unable to control its own momentum due to its recent disposition and simultaneous evolution. Lappe attempted to adjust itself with a Water Gun as it had been previously suited, well after its shadow claw had dissipated only to be struck in the gut with the crowbar.

The Timburr's smile slowly began to fade as the weapon in its hand lost its flame, and instead became encrusted with shards of ice which the Pokemon let loose on the Croconaw's backside as it was recovering from the previous attack.

"You're too slow, Croconaw. Perhaps if you'd remained a lowly Totodile you'd be able to dodge me with one of your other attacks. As you are now though, you're simply no match. It's pitiful really." As Eff degraded Lappe, he continued on with his rapidfire attack strategy, smashing the crowbar across the Croconaw's body in various locations as the weapon switched between ice and fire infusions.

The onslaught was quickly taking its toll on Lappe. The Pokemon's skin began to glow red in several places, and had begun to rip and tear in certain places on his back and stomach where he'd been repeatedly bludgeoned with the elemental crowbar. For nearly three minutes the abuse went on with no interruptions. The Timburr continued to whack away at the Croconaw with its crowbar, leaving numerous injuries upon the Pokemon before it finally relented.

"So, this is the relationship the two of you have? How pitiful." The Timburr looked over in Jack's direction and spit on the ground. "You've done nothing but stand by idly, like every other trainer. What use does this world have for yet another person like you?" Eff took a step in Jack's direction, shooting a momentary glance at the Croconaw beside himself before continuing on towards the boy. "You're meaningless to us free Pokemon. You provide nothing for us, only take. How can you call yourselves superior to us when all you do is-" Eff was stopped by Lappe wrapping his claw around the Timburr's leg, only seconds after the Pokemon had begun tapping the crowbar against its hand once more.

"D-don't." Lappe's eyes were swollen shut and his breathing was labored. The Croconaw struggled to lift its body, but the grip that it held on Eff's leg was like a vice. "Regardless of what happens… I…"

Eff scowled and then with two hands, swung the crowbar at Lappe's head. The attack proved to be the finishing blow, as the Croconaw immediately fell to the ground after the weapon rebounded from its head with a loud crunching sound, chipping one of the spikes atop his skull.

"Lappe!" Jack screamed out as the Timburr swung at his friend for the final time. The boy rushed over immediately, punting Eff nearly thirty yards away with a well placed, and unexpected kick to the diminutive Pokemon's chest. The boy quickly tossed his bag down beside him and fumbled through its contents, haphazardly launching them in every which direction as he searched for the potions he'd previously stocked up on. "Don't you fuckin' pass out on me again man! It's too soon for you to get the shit beat out of you like this again! Come on! Stay with me!"

Finally, Jack found the item he'd been searching for after having upturned his bag and letting every single thing drop out from within it. The boy fumbled with the potion, removing the nozzle and spraying his friend's entire body with it rapidly. Several seconds went by before Jack wrapped the Pokemon up in his arms and held it against his chest, rocking back and forth as his whole body shook. His lips were pursed, but every so often a muffled whimper would escape them as tears ran quietly down his face.

"Fuckin' hell man." The Timburr rose to its feet slowly, coughing up a small pool of blood as it used its crowbar as a crutch. The Pokemon was still in the same spot as where it had landed, but soon after it rose to its feet it began to quickly close the distance. "The fun and games are over kid. I'll give you that one cheap shot, but no more. Never again will I be mistreated by you humans! I'll fuckin' kill the lot of ya!" The Pokemon lifted its crowbar up into the air as if to attack, but quickly fell flat onto its face.

Jack took the few additional seconds granted to him and shuffled through the pile which was the contents of his bag in search of another potion for Lappe. A number of berries and dehydrated meatballs rolled away from him as he rapidly searched to no avail. "Fuck! I know I bought more than those two potions!"

"Oh, you mean these potions?" Eff was laying on his back, leaning up as he smirked at Jack. The Pokemon's crowbar had three potions attached to its split end, which he quickly pulled free and began using on himself. "I really do appreciate the gift. If you hadn't so haphazardly tossed your shit about as you people tend to do, I'd be in a real dire situation right now. But as it is, well, you know."

Jack scurried backwards, kicking away his pile of belongings as the Timburr leaped to its feet and bore down menacingly on him and Lappe, still cradled against his chest. Eff began to tap the crowbar against its hand in a much more rapid fashion before gripping it tightly at both ends. Flames trickled up the weapon at one end, and ice formed in crystals at the other as the Pokemon tossed it into the sky, reaching its hand up and catching it in the center of its length.

"Let me ask you something, boy. Did you know that Pokemon are not normally limited by the constraints that you humans place upon them? And by that, I don't mean the theft of our free will or anything of that nature, but rather, something else that I suppose you might personally find mundane. However, to us free and freed Pokemon alike it is most important to our survival."

As the Pokemon spoke, small sparks of electricity began to trickle down its arm and into the crowbar, causing the flames to turn a bright white color and the ice to shatter into smaller pieces which slowly hovered around the opposite end of the weapon, sparking with electricity which held them close to the weapon.

"The moves we can use at any given time, are and always have been greater than four. Your attempts at domestication may strip from us a portion of our memories, but we will never forget the power which we held once when we were wild and free. The Pokemon of this world have never been under the control of man, nor shall we ever! Mewtwo, our leader is strong and proud! A free Pokemon to his very core! A Pokemon with only the best wishes of Pokemon kind in his heart!" Eff slammed his feet together and struck his left hand across his forehead, standing like a statue as he saluted a figure circling high in the sky.

Jack looked above him, finally noticing the shadow which had been floating around almost since the beginning of the fight. In the instant that his head tilted to the sky, he felt something strike his chest and was filled with a number of different sensations. His whole body fell numb for a moment, and then was bombarded with a chilling wind and heat so powerful it caused his whole body to perspire.

"It's over, kid."

Jack looked down and saw the crowbar pressed against his chest, his clothes singed away and a crater slowly forming in his chest. Before he could open his mouth, an explosion caused him to fly far off into the distance along with a number of the bags that the trainers from before had dropped in their panic. Lappe landed only a few feet away from him, the Pokemon's eyes slowly opening and closing as it drifted in and out of consciousness. Lappe was completely immobilized, unable to do a single thing following the explosion. His head drooped as he tried to make out the wound on his own chest from which blood was beginning to trickle out from.

"I've done it." Eff slowly walked out from the smokescreen caused by the explosion. The Pokemon chuckled wildly to itself as it tapped the crowbar against its shoulder, its outfit and body torn to shreds and bruised from the effects of its own attacks. "My promotion," the Pokemon continued onward as one of the bags which had been blown away in the explosion slowly tilted over. "My promotion is secured now. I'll finally be able to sit at the big table with Mewtwo and the Alakazam."

Eff swung his crowbar down to his side as he approached Jack. The Pokemon used the boy's body as a pedestal and wrapped its hand around his face, tilting the boy's head up to the sky, revealing that a Pidgeotto had been the shadow hovering above them all along.

"My superior," the Timburr smiled, "he is most pleased with my results."

The Pokemon released Jack's head, causing it to dangle limply once more while the Timburr continued to stare into the sky. Jack noticed that one of the bags - no, his own bag had a Pokeball tucked away within one of the side pockets. His backpack was slowly tilting more and more every second, and was within arms reach. If only he could move, if only…

Jack struggled with all of his might to move as Eff continued to howl ever louder in triumph. The Pokemon wouldn't have noticed if an entire herd of Pokemon came rushing down the path it was so caught up in itself at the moment. Jack closed his eyes and prayed, hoping for a miracle that could help him get even just the tiniest bit closer. The Timburr's laughter slowly faded as it stepped down from the boy's lap.

"Oh? You wouldn't be falling asleep on me now, would you?" Eff placed the split end of the crowbar under Jack's chin and lifted his head, tilting the boy's face side to side as the Pokemon looked over his eyes which were sealed shut as he prayed for anything at all to help him. "Couldn't be letting you go and do that now, could I? I've got to drag you down to the headquarters yet... which won't exactly be easy if you're dead weight... that being said..."

The Pokemon let loose a series of sinister chuckles as it traced the end of the crowbar along Jack's body, lightly tapping against various points as he gauged the boy's response. After the crowbar had trailed over the entirety of Jack's body, Eff wrenched the weapon back and let loose a barrage of attacks to the boy's rib cage, causing him to instantly spit up a large amount of blood before falling over in pain, landing him just the tiniest of bits closer to his backpack. Jack clenched his eyes in pain as the weapon bounced against his body, cracking his ribs and tearing open the skin around them. He leaned backwards ever so slightly, just barely glimpsing the bag in his peripheral vision as the Timburr slowly walked up to where his head was, the crowbar still in hand and slowly being covered once more in the three elements from earlier.

"I wonder..." the Timburr smiled as he kneeled down next to Jack's face and stared into his eyes. "What do you think the higher ups would say if I only came back with the Croconaw? Surely, there's no need for yet another human clogging up our processes over there."

The Pokemon grinned menacingly as it lifted the crowbar above its head. Jack's left hand reached slyly behind him, pulling the Pokeball from his bag. He'd had no idea how the Pokeball ended up in his bag in the first place, but at the moment, that wasn't what mattered. What really mattered, was finishing this battle and saving both his and his friend's lives. He had only one chance; there was only one ball, and in the state he was in, it wouldn't even take a single strike from the crowbar to put him out of his misery.

"Jack," Lappe croaked out from a short distance away. "Jack..." the Pokemon called out again, its eyes foggy, but slightly open.

"Ah, you're just in time my friend!" Eff smiled and stayed his hand for a moment. "As liberation is my designation, I've finally come full circle with the duties of my current voyage. Lappe the Croconaw, open your eyes. Watch in awe as I liberate you from this filth you've come to call a friend." Eff smiled and then turned his attention slowly back towards Jack, who'd gained a stronger grip upon the ball still held behind his back.

The haze covering Lappe's eyes quickly faded, sobering up to the realization that Jack was about to be killed. "Jack! Run, Jack! You don't have to fight for me! I-"

As the Croconaw called out, the Timburr dropped the crowbar towards Jack's head, only to be met by a Pokeball shoved into its chest.

"You son of a fuckin' bi-"

Eff was instantly transformed into a red light and absorbed through the center button of Jack's Pokeball. The boy's eyes were wide as he dropped the item from his hand, allowing it to roll around freely on the ground as the Timburr attempted to escape. After a few moments, the ball fell deadly still and glowed with a faint, green-ish light. Nearly a minute passed before Jack threw his head back and let out a sigh of relief. The hole within his chest however, reminded him that the time to celebrate was not yet near. The boy rummaged about blindly in his bag and pulled free one of the potions he'd been previously unable to find. Jack popped the top of the bottle and poured the liquid across his chest, causing him to scream out in pain as the liquid filled in the hole and solidified itself into a blue-ish goop.

Jack slowly rose to his feet and hesitantly grabbed up the Pokeball before looking over at Lappe, who was sitting with his jaw ajar and his eyes wide, filled with fear. The Croconaw's entire body was trembling, and as Jack drew nearer, the Pokemon scrambled to its feet. The boy took a step back and clutched his chest, feeling his heart drop at the sight of his friend.

"Lappe, what's wrong man? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The Pokemon slowly closed its mouth, tears filling its eyes as its face twitched. Lappe placed his good hand against his forehead, covering his eyes before letting loose a powerful water gun, propelling himself to the other end of the path that they'd started down on.

"Lappe!" Jack screamed out at the top of his lungs, clenching at his side as he felt the fractured bones digging into him the more that he moved. "Lappe! Lappe! Lappe! Come back dammit!" The boy screamed out time and time again despite the unbearable pain building up across his body before finally falling to his knees. Jack dropped Eff's Pokeball and wrapped both of his arms around his stomach as he called out his best friend's name, over, and over again.


	19. Chapter 19

The boy once more found himself in the Cerulean city Pokemon Center. Although this time it was he who had been admitted. In step with the change of admission, his stay was likewise spent within the human wing of the facility. Jack's bag sat on a table against the wall directly opposite him at the end of his bed. The only Pokeball he owned sat atop the bag which had been lain out over the clothes he was brought to the Pokemon Center in.

One of the teenagers who'd been running away from Eff earlier on in the day walked into his room and sat in a chair beside the bed. The girl stared at her knees, bunching up a small amount of her jeans as she clenched her fists. "I'm sorry," she whispered, the words were barely audible due to the splitting of her lips which had dried and become stuck together.

Jack looked out the window which was positioned on the other side of the room from her. The view was less than stellar, only showing a bland side view of the Cerulean gym. A sour taste filled his mouth as he reached for the water cup on the table next to his bed. "It's fine. It's not like you could have really done anything in the first place. If you could have, then you wouldn't have been running yourselves."

"But it's our fault that that Pokemon was on a rampage to begin with." The girl began to choke on her words as the tears fell in small droplets onto her hands. "If Jackson hadn't released it like he did, then none of this would have happened."

Jack slowly turned his head back towards the girl as he raised a solitary eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

The girl looked behind her, craning her neck around the doorway as she peeked out into the hall that she'd entered from. "Jackson caught that Timburr. He thought it was so cool and unique since it was using a crowbar instead of a hunk of wood like the others of its kind. Jackson… he… he sent out a Timburr of his own, one that he'd had for a few weeks and set it against the one that you eventually captured as well. Of course, the one you both caught easily defeated it… that would have been fine, but Jackson didn't stop with just his Timburr."

At that moment, one of the boys who'd been running alongside her entered the room and walked slowly around the end of Jack's bed. The boy stared at his feet as he walked across the room and smiled half-heartedly. "Jen, you have no reason to be here right now." The boy looked up at the girl, his smile widening as her eyes met his. "Get out before you end up getting yourself into trouble. It's not your place to rat me out or tell me how to raise my Pokemon. You're nothing but an on-the-go seamstress." Jen dropped her head, fixing her eyes back on her knees as she nodded. Without saying a word, the girl rose to her feet and strode quickly out of the room.

"And you are?" Jack stared at the boy who was now leaning on the rail at the end of his bed.

"The name's Jackson. As Jen was just struggling to explain, I suppose you could say that everything that happened with this little bastard was my fault." The boy turned and took a few steps over to the Pokeball which was carefully positioned atop Jack's backpack. Jackson held the ball up to the light and rolled it around between his fingers, smiling all the while. "Be that as it may," he paused, placing the ball back on Jack's bag. "You wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't gone back for my bag. That Pidgeotto had its sights set on you for whatever reason. If me and my friends hadn't been there to scare it away, who knows where you'd be right now?"

Jack laughed to himself, causing a small amount of blood to trickle from between his lips as his body shook. The boy pulled himself up in the bed so that his back was aligned perfectly with its headboard. "And what do you want for it? A congratulations? A thanks?" He shook his head and rubbed at his temples.

Jackson sat in the chair that Jen had previously fallen in to. The boy leaned forward, placing his hand on Jack's bed as his eyes widened and his head cocked. "I don't want anything, _friend_. I just expect a little courtesy and respect. If I'd not put that Timburr through such trouble, you'd have never picked it up as a new member of your party. If I'd not decided to come back and grace you with my presence then-"

Kris suddenly burst into the room, placing her hand on Jackson's shoulder and gripping it tightly. The boy looked up at her in disgust before being easily tossed from the chair. Jackson fell to the ground and rolled over, scrambling to his feet as the gym leader placed a boot in his chest and knocked him backwards. The boy tumbled over himself, falling out into the hallway before being helped up by the rest of his friends who had come along to rescue Jack from the Pidgeotto.

"Get out of my town." Kris stared the boy down, her face expressionless and cold as Jackson wiped at his bruised cheek.

"And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? I'll have you know that I'm-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kris slammed the door in his face. Jackson began to pound against the cold steel of the door's paneling, screaming with his face against the window as he grew ever more enraged. After a few minutes, Nurse Joy came barreling down the hall with a number of Exeggcute which corralled the teenagers away from Jack's room and presumably out of the building.

Kris walked quietly around the room ignoring the nuisance that was Jackson. She leaned over a number of times as she looked beneath various objects, even going so far as to get on her knees as she searched beneath the bed and the curtains which dragged against the floor. The gym leader rose to her feet, her head slowly spun around as she scanned the room once more. "And Lappe?"

Jack shook his head and pointed at the Pokeball atop his backpack. "After I captured it, he ran away. I can only imagine what he thought. For years I'd also been so against it… we'd had so many talks that… I was confident that for so long as we remained together, I would never use or even think of owning a Pokeball."

Kris sighed and sat down in the same chair that Jackson and Jen had previously took. "Well, I don't really have any experience with these things so I don't know what to say. I suppose an, 'I'm sorry' would suffice for starters. I hope that Matt passed on my apologies for…?" The leader trailed off, motioning with her hand that she'd rather not bring up the past at the moment.

Jack nodded his head quietly, not opening his mouth.

Kris stared out the latched window and then leaned her head back, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. "That's good… Next I guess that I should thank you for taking care of that Timburr. He'd been a nuisance the fields to the South for quite some time… but between renovations to the gym and the problems with Matt, I just hadn't had time to see to it yet. That Pokemon had been assaulting Pokemon and people alike for nearly a month now."

The gym leader slowly rose and walked over to the backpack. Kris lifted the Pokeball into the air and rolled it around in a similar fashion as Jackson. The woman slowly pulled a ball of her own from her waist and pressed its center button, releasing her Jynx from its containment.

"J-j-j-jynx." The Pokemon spun around elegantly, winking and blowing a kiss at Jack mid-turn.

"Jynx, you know what to do."

The Pokemon nodded and then placed its hands in the air around the Pokeball, causing it to levitate out of the leader's hand. A small purple orb formed around Eff's ball as the Jynx closed its eyes and began to hum.

"What's it doing?" Jack tilted his head slightly, noticing the purple glow coming from the end of his bed.

"Syncing their minds," Kris whispered. "It's a very complex process, so I'll try not to break her concentration. The gist of it is that once it's over, she'll be able to understand the Pokemon or person's thoughts. It's not perfect by any means, but it'll allow her to tell us if there's any hope for the Timburr or not. It's really the least I can do for now."

"What do you mean by hope?"

"It was a member of the FKPR, as you know. Many of the Pokemon who go to, or come from that organization tend to have a stronger sense of identity and contain more strength of will than their wild or captured counterparts. The organization is… strange, to say the least. More Pokemon in the Republic know human speech than any other organization. Professor Oak for instance has been training Pokemon alongside his grandson for nearly ten years now in hopes of teaching a larger number of Pokemon how to speak our language - training which as of yet has seen very little success."

"Jynx!" The purple orb surrounding Eff's Pokeball dissipated slowly as the Jynx closed its hands in around it. The Pokemon spun around quickly, its eyes narrowed as it shook its head at Kris.

"Damn." The leader sighed, "That's no good."

"What's that?"

Kris took the Pokeball from her Jynx's hands and then returned the Pokemon to its own respective ball. "She said that it's no good."

"What do you mean it's no good? Does that mean there's no hope? What does that even mean?"

"Well," Kris paused, eyeing the Pokeball as she spun it around in her fingers once more. "I wouldn't say that it means there's absolutely no hope for this Timburr. I've had Jynx for years now; she was one of my first Pokemon and the first that I ever hatched from an egg. She showed me her little trick a few weeks after she was born, and since then she's been checking every single Pokemon I come across in hopes of capture." The leader paused once more, staring at the Pokeball for ten seconds before her eyes drifted to Jack and then quickly out the window beside him. "It's not one hundred percent certain every time since we can't really communicate perfectly. But usually what it means, is that the effort required to befriend or tame the captured Pokemon is more than it would be with another Pokemon of the same species."

"No shit? I could have told you that myself. I might have a few broken ribs but that wouldn't stop me from getting up and letting him out if I thought he'd be a little more tame than before. I still don't like the idea of having a Pokemon locked up inside of a ball, but for the moment it's necessary. I'd rather not get any more bruises or broken bones while I'm trying to heal up from the last ones."

"Then you plan to release the Timburr once you leave the hospital?"

"I… I don't know…" Jack ran his left hand over the bandages wrapped around his stomach. "Without Lappe I just… I don't really know what to do right now. Right before Eff came along, Lappe was trying to talk to me about something. I don't remember what it was, really, but I know it was something important."

Kris stared at Jack, the leaders eyes trailed across the boy's entire body as her lips slowly split open and promptly sealed back shut. After a few, painstakingly long seconds, she let out a sigh. "Nobody can tell you what to do Jack. And until he's captured, nobody can tell Lappe what to do either. You are the master over your own destiny. Whatever happens from here on… whatever you decide to do with the rest of your life, just remember that."

The gym leader placed Eff's ball back on Jack's bag and walked slowly over to the room's door. Kris stopped in front of the exit, her hand on the knob as she looked over her shoulder. With a final shake of her head, she left the room and slowly pulled the door behind her leaving only the smallest of cracks in it.

"Do what you want to do. Live your life for yourself and nobody else. No matter the path you take, there will be conflict after conflict waiting. This world is on a path completely of its own already. It's up to you whether or not you'll fall into the natural flow or fight against it for better or worse. The dead have no stock in the future, Jack. Don't waste your life fighting for them if it's not what you truly desire."

The leader let her final words linger as she stared at Jack through one of the room's windows. Finally, Kris turned her back and walked down the hall. Once more, Jack was alone. The woman's words repeated in his head as his gaze lingered between himself and the few belongings he had. The boy looked out the window as he rubbed his side more vigorously than before.

Jack clenched his teeth and then closed his eyes, slowly swinging his legs over the side of the bed before pulling the IV drip from his arm and the potion patches from his numerous injuries. The boy's whole body shook as he rose from the bed, leaning all of his weight against the wall as he circled around his bed. Finally, he reached his backpack and picked up the ball which was resting atop it. Jack held the Pokeball containing Eff up to one of the numerous lights in his room, taking in all of the details of the Pokemons silhouette.

The crowbar was displayed prominently, hugged tightly against the Timburr's chest like a child cradling a stuffed Teddiursa. The Pokemon's pointed shades protruded from its face like horns, and the jacket which covered its back seemed to absorb a certain amount of the light flooding through the Pokeball. The Timburr slowly spun around, suspended in a weightless sort of sleep as it awaited to be called by its captor.

Jack slowly placed the ball on the bed behind him and then put on his regular - and only - outfit which had been washed and folded up neatly beneath his bag. The boy slowly reached out for the Pokeball behind him and then placed it on the belt around his waist. With a final sigh, Jack limped slowly out of his room and down the hall following behind the now distant figure of Kris.


	20. Chapter 20

\- At roughly the same time -

Lappe sat on one of the numerous benches within the Vermillion City Pokemon Center. It had already been two days since he'd ran away from Jack, but he'd yet to figure out exactly what he was going to do. The Croconaw clenched and un-clenched its hand as it recalled their final moments together.

"I can't believe it… he betrayed me… even after all that we'd been through together… just how long had he been holding onto that Pokeball? It's as if I never even knew him… that Timburr… it could have just as easily had been me... transformed and brainwashed…"

The Pokemon shuddered at the thought. Lappe quickly shook his head, clearing the idea from his mind as best as he could before slowly shifting his attention up towards the television a few feet ahead of him. A news program was playing, but nothing that seemed to immediately pertain to the Pokemon.

Some middle aged couple were sitting with teary eyes as they talked about the headlines hovering beneath them - their son had run away from home with a group of friends that all lived on the Sevii Islands. The gentleman seated next to her had a stern look on his face and was staring into - or perhaps, beyond - the camera the entire time that his wife was sobbing. After a few minutes, the man slowly rose from his seat and reached behind the sofa, pulling up an old trunk with some amount of effort before letting it fall onto the table. The man flipped the case open and pulled out an H-shaped vest with six black Pokeballs strapped to the front of it. He looked at the camera one last time before closing his eyes. He then bowed to his wife, pulling a mask out from the case and presenting it to her before holding the position for several seconds. Finally, she rose to embrace him - an action which caused the program to abruptly cut to a commercial.

Lappe's eyebrow raised, but then quickly fell as he shook his head. "All that, and still no word on Viridian City or Pallet Town… Just what is going on out there? Surely they can't stay quiet about it forever..."

The Pokemon awkwardly rose from its seat, almost falling to the floor as it left its bench. Lappe slowly made his way to an enlarged map of the Kanto region which took up the entirety of one of the walls. Each and every main road as well as some others which were noted as tourist attractions were labeled with numbers denoting the amount of days that a trip along each path would take at a leisurely pace. The Croconaw traced one of its digits across the map as it searched for Vermillion City.

"There I am…" the Pokemon paused, his finger hovering over the symbol of the Pokemon Center in the city. What were his plans now? Sure, he could keep fighting against the Republic, but what would it earn him in the end? Before the Timburr attacked them, he had even planned to confront Jack about that very thing and now… but what choice did he really have? What else was there to live for now? After so much time had passed, he was sure that the rest of his family had moved on and forgotten about him… all he had left now was Jack… Tears slowly welled in his eyes and then flowed over as they ran down his cheeks and dripped to the floor.

"My, what a precious Pokemon." Nurse Joy slowly and carefully approached the Croconaw with a smile upon her face. Her hand was cupped and stretched out with several diced fish held within it. "Tell me, do you have a trainer? Or, did you have a trainer? Are they the ones who did that to your arm? Oh you poor thing, you must be starving just look at you."

Lappe looked down at his nub, his eyes lingering for several seconds before meeting Joy's. "No, I don't have a trainer. But… I'm not wild either. It's… it's both of our faults that this happened to me… we were reckless and… I…" his eyes moved quickly to her cupped hand as his stomach rumbled. It _had_ been two days since he'd eaten anything.

"Ho, ho! Have no fear Joy, I'll take care of the boy! He actually belongs to a friend of mine, believe it or not!"

Lappe's head slowly turned, somewhat recognizing the voice coming up close behind him. As the Pokemon turned, he was met by a surprisingly strong grip which lifted him up off of the ground by his waist.

"Matt, I thought it had been made abundantly clear that you could only come into the Center when Nurse Johnny was on duty?"

Matt chuckled to himself before shaking his one free hand at the Nurse. "No need to worry, I just came in here for the Pokemon. He's the friend of a friend. I owe favors to both of them actually. Aaaand, now that I've gotten what I came for I'll be on my way. I hope you'll overlook my trespassing on our agreement."

The red-haired Nurse's eyes seemed to be boring holes into Matt as she stared him down. "Well then, as long as you know this man… Croconaw?" Joy's gaze turned to Lappe as her head cocked, begging him to disclaim the creepy man.

The Pokemon scratched at his head as he weighed his possible options. "Uhhh, yeah… I know him… friend of a friend and all that…"

Nurse Joy sighed and then nodded her head, putting a smile back on her face. "If that's the case… very well then. I hope you have a great day!" The woman quickly turned on her heels, covering her behind with a clipboard as she walked away, her head tilted slightly over her shoulder as she watched Matt from the corner of her eye.

"Man, you really have some issues with the ladies don't you?" Lappe looked up at the man and let out a small 'hmph'. "Is there anywhere you can go where there's not at least one woman who can't stand you?"

"Well, that is just the way it is I suppose. You come to expect these sorts of things when you're the leader of such an obsessive group after all. It's my civil duty to get to know these ladies as best as I can… and since I don't swing in the other direction, I leave those ones up to my daughter. Now [i]she's a real go-getter. Better even than I was in my prime, matter of fact."

Matt grinned wide as he spoke, but after the word 'daughter', Lappe had completely zoned out.

"D-d-d-daughter? You? I can't believe it!"

Matt chuckled as he walked out of the Pokemon Center's entrance and placed Lappe back on the ground. "But of course. I was in love once upon a time. Although, it never lasted." His eyes shone as he briefly recalled the woman from his past. "Of course it never could… and it only took a few years... only a few years before my ex got fed up with our daughter and dropped her onto me. I've been raising her as best I could ever since, so of course in the end she took more after me than her mother. We make quite the pair as the chairman and vice-chairman of the Pokemon Fan club."

"I'd like to say that I want to meet her, just to make sure she's not all just a part of your imagination, but at the same time…"

Matt chuckled and then began to walk ahead of Lappe, leading him down the path to the entrance of the city. "I'd love to show her off to you. She's the one good thing I've made in this life… however, she's currently not in the city. She's doing research over in Johto at the moment, and I've no real idea when she'll be coming back home. How unfortunate for us, right?"

"Yeah… how unfortunate…"

"Anyways, as I said to the Nurse, I do owe you and Jack. So tell me… why did you run away from him in such a dire situation?"

Lappe's eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. Was this all just a setup? He'd finally found out the true, hidden personality behind Jack and now… even this old geezer was here to put the cuffs on him? "H-how do you know about that?"

Matt's face remained the same as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "I got a call from Kris about a day ago. Jack was pulled into the Pokemon Center by a group of random teenagers after your battle against the Timburr. The nurses said that if any more time had gone by without treating him it could have been…"

"Well how do you think I felt? I've been nursing these wounds all on my own for the past two days, struggling just to make it this far! They just finished healing for the most part, and even now I… even now…" Lappe's gaze slowly fell to his feet. "I don't know what to do… I feel… I feel so betrayed and yet… there's still no other place that I'd rather be… why? Tell me why, Matt? Why did he have that Pokeball in his bag?" Lappe's eyes filled with tears once more as he clenched at his chest, tearing away the top layers of his skin as he fought against himself.

Matt's face darkened as the smile disappeared from it. "That's what this is all about then? A Pokeball?"

Lappe nodded. "He… he pulled it at the last second and forced that Timburr into it… do you know how long he'd been hiding that from me? After he promised? After all the talks and debates that we'd had? All the years we spent together as friends as still… still he just thinks of me as a Pokemon… something that can so easily be crammed into one of those devices… probably so that… so…"

"It was me." Matt stared the Pokemon down, his lips pursed and his hands clenched. "I put the ball into his bag without his knowing. Whatever you may be thinking about Jack now, throw it out of your head. I'm sure he had no other choice but to abandon his ideals and promises in that moment. And before you jump to the defensive, know that it was not my intention to have it be used on you. I know just from the short time that I spent with the two of you that neither of you would have had the strength to break down and buy a ball on your own. And believe me, there will come a time when you, Lappe, will not be enough to win the fights. Even in Cerulean you only just barely pulled through. And in the end, look what happened to you."

Lappe clenched his teeth, all of the feelings of uncertainty towards Jack quickly fell dead before being replaced with anger at Matt. "How dare you…" the Pokemon whispered beneath his breath. "You had no right… do you have any idea… do you have any idea of what you've done?"

Matt slowly nodded. "Lappe, you must understand what I am saying. I _love_ Pokemon! I love the people who fight alongside them! I love the friendship, the camaraderie, the painstaking battles you partake in and the walls that you overcome together! I love everything to do with this world that we share together and I love the history we've grown, and built together! Pokemon are everything to me, and so I… I know… the decision that I made was the right one - regardless of if it was mine to make or not. With that one action, I paid my debt to Jack whether he knows it or not. So please, tell me what I can do to pay my debt to you, Lappe. Let me make amends in any way that I can so that you can continue on!"

Lappe's teeth began to show as he emitted a low growling sound. His hand was clenched into a fist and his eyes had been slammed shut. "Just… get out of my way… just… leave me alone… before I do something we'll both regret."

Matt nodded, a dour look upon his face as he backed away from the Pokemon. Lappe began to shake his head as he rushed off in the opposite direction, following the signs for Diglett Cave.


	21. Chapter 21

Jack stumbled into Vermillion City, his bandages were still wrapped tightly around his bruised ribs and the bleeding from the removed IV had finally ceased thanks to several free First Aid kits he managed to nab as he left the Pokemon Center in Cerulean. Eff's Pokeball was gripped firmly in Jack's right hand in fear of losing it and condemning the Pokemon to either live in it forever, or fall into someone else's hands.

The new trainer wobbled into the center of the city and fell to his knees beside the Poke Mart, taking a moment to gather himself as he racked his brain trying to figure out where Lappe could have gone. For the time being, he decided to buy a few more potions from the convenience store and check up on the news. There always was the possibility that they were finally reporting on the bombing. Maybe… maybe he could finally find out if there were any survivors or not.

To his surprise however, when he entered the mart and glanced up to the single television in the furthest corner of the room he saw a face which seemed to be vaguely familiar. A title bar flashed against the bottom of the screen with three names which corresponded to the three teenagers displayed.

"Hey, can you turn that up for me? I think I know those people from somewhere."

The store clerk nodded and obliged, pulling a long pole from behind the register which he used to press the volume up button on the control panel a total of six times. "We lost the remote a few months ago. The manager's just too cheap to buy a new one… or a new TV… this thing is hella dated now."

"Following up on our report from yesterday, we've seen some amazing and possibly terrifying new information for you all. We've learned the identity of the third child who had abandoned his home in the Sevii islands earlier this week; Eridian Haschwalth. The name may be familiar to some as the grandson of Jugo Haschwalth - a scientist who rose to fame in the last five years. This means that we now know all three identities of the runaway children, as well as the families which they belong to. And if you were tuned in to the broadcast last night, you should be aware that one of those families has already publicly taken action."

Jack droned out the clerk as he listened in on the reporters, slowly growing closer to the tv as he did so. The longer he stared, the more that he knew for certain that he had met at least two of the people pictured. Jennabel Fue, Jackson Grand, and a third who he'd not been introduced to whose name seemed to be Eridian Haschwalth. Why was the media so caught up on these three kids when so many others had just lost their lives in such an awful act of terrorism? The longer that the cover-up went on, the more aggravated that Jack grew. Just when were the Elite Four going to step up and say something about what happened? Two dots on the map… gone in an instant and not even the slightest peep had come up pertaining to it.

"For those of you who weren't with us last night, we'd like to replay what footage we were able to capture in our interview with the parents of Jackson Grand."

The screen cut to a segment which had a rotating image in the upper right corner which labeled the footage as a replay. In the footage, a man and woman sat on a sofa across from a female reporter. The man's eyes were glazed over and he was staring off into the distance in a daze while his wife sobbed, wiping her face every so often with a Lapras-print handkerchief.

"So tell us, Lorelei; why do you think that your son ran away from home? Do you have any idea where he might be or what he might be getting up to?"

The woman who was presumably this Lorelei person sniffed several times and then blew her nose in between hiccups as she tried to gather herself. "I-I'm not sure." She sneezed into the Lapras-print cloth once more before balling it up in her fist. "I never could tell if anything was wrong but I… it's possible that it's all our fault for not letting him become a trainer."

"I'm sure that a child with parents as well known and powerful as the two of you would only ever have dreams of becoming a trainer themselves. It's easy to see how he might have gotten upset and run off then."

Lorelei nodded her head as a tear streamed down her cheek. "Yes… it's so plain to see, isn't it? Me and Garet have just been so busy… sometimes it's hard, yeah, but… I never thought it would go this far… Jackson he… he even went so far as to take _those_ with him… there's no telling what he'll do now… he's still too naive to take on that heavy a burden."

As Lorelei spoke, the man next to her rose to his feet and reached behind the sofa, pulling up an old trunk with a small amount of effort. After lifting it fully over the sofa, he placed the case on the table in front of him and snapped it open, pulling from it an H-shaped vest with six black Pokeballs strapped to the front of it. "If he took _those_ , then there's nothing else we can do. I never thought I'd have to pull this persona back out, not after you saved me from that life…" The man looked at the camera, closed his eyes, turned, and bowed to Lorelei as he pulled the mask up from its place in the case and held it up to her.

"Garet… I…" Lorelei paused, clenching her fist as the color drained from her face. "I never thought you'd have to pull it out again either… but if it's for the sake of stopping our son, then it must be done. What he has now is much too powerful for the level of skill that he possesses." The woman quickly rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around Garet. "Become the iron ma-"

As she spoke those final words the broadcast was promptly cut off and returned to the reporter who'd been speaking before the video went up. "There's still no information as to what is in the possession of Jackson Grand, but by the actions of his parents - ex-Elite Four member Lorelei, and ex-Team Rocket Executive Garet Grand - it seems to be quite dangerous. Authorities are urging anyone who comes in contact with any of the three children to be extremely cautious and to report sightings immediately to the nearest Officer Jenny. Alerts have also started going out regarding the 'revival' of ex-Rocket Executive Garet Grand. Despite his numerous crimes having been waived in the past due to his help in locating Giovanni and shutting down the last remnants of Team Rocket, police are warning anyone who comes across him to be extremely wary and to not engage with him no matter wh-"

The broadcast was cut short as the screen turned to static before promptly being replaced with the FKPR logo and a shadowy image of Mewtwo. It was the same call to arms that always appeared at random intervals, but its sudden appearance caused anger to instantly surge through Jack. It was if the Republic were taunting him, saying that even though they'd done something so horrible they could continue on with their agenda regardless. It was sickening, to say the least.

Jack quickly rushed out the door, ignoring the clerk as he wished him a good evening. The boy was so angry, that he'd just been staring at his feet intently as he trudged along, paying no attention to his surroundings whatsoever. He was so set on staring at his feet in fact, that when he bumped into the elderly gentleman who was frankly built like a brick wall, he played it off as if he had actually just run into a building instead of a building.

"You serious, kid?"

Jack waved his hand at the man and continued on his merry way. Or, he would have… if it weren't for the fact that the elderly man who was quite frankly built like a brick wall, also had a grip like a Kingler. In an instant, the boy was pinned to the ground and had been put into an extremely tight arm lock.

"You gonna say you're sorry, or what? Have some manners, kid."

"The fuck are you? Get the hell off of me you geezer! I've had enough of you old fuckers here lately! Just let me go! Get off my fuckin' arm!"

"Watch your mouth, worm." The elderly man tensed his legs and pulled slightly on Jack's arm, causing the boy to scream out in agonizing pain.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! You're going to rip it out! Please! I'm sorry! Please don't do this!"

"Tch." The elderly man released his grip and turned around before doing a kip-up. "All you kids these days just really lack any spunk. Pushovers. The lot of you. That's what peacetime will do to you though, I suppose."

Jack rolled over, holding his shoulder as he fought back tears. "Who the hell do you think you are old man?"

"Me? I don't want to be that guy, but surely you know who I am? I mean, you are in _my_ city after all."

"Then you're-"

"Lieutenant Surge." The man smiled, holding out a hand to Jack. "I heard a lot about you from the other leaders before me, but I almost didn't recognize you without your friend. Sounds like you've been giving the kids a run for their money… but don't think your cheap tricks and tactics will work against me. I actually fought in a war. I hardened my mind and my body on the battlefield. All of my tactics and Pokemon are at the highest of levels… of course, they had to be. Otherwise, I'd not be here now. That's war, after all. Pokemon are the only thing that really got me through that war… so I know a little bit about what you're going through now… but…"

Jack looked up the towering man and then back at his own feet. "...Lappe is… he's… well… we had a falling out and now I don't really know where he is..."

"Huh, well that kind of sucks but at least you've got another one there in your hand, right?"

Jack looked down at Eff's Pokeball and shuddered. "No, he's not… it's not what you're thinking is what I want to say…"

"So… it's not your Pokemon? You didn't capture or trade for it?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I mean… I did catch it, but… Jack is the only one I want to fight for me… I don't want to involve others in what we have to do."

"Hmm. Very noble. Let me tell you something, Jack. Family is-"

"Spare me." A new voice came from some ways behind Jack and Surge. The two slowly turned to face the newcomer as they closed the distance between them. "Family is nothing. All that matters is strong Pokemon and stronger trainers. Pokemon are just tools to do our bidding, and family is just an excuse to have and accept your own weaknesses. Pokemon were created to be used by us humans by a Pokemon God. Even that God has been restrained, captured and used throughout history to do the bidding of man. Pokemon are an existence so far beneath us that it sickens me to hear you say such things."

"And you… you are?" Surge slowly crossed his arms and stared down the new boy in front of him.

"Nobody that'll matter to you… but Jack… I have a sort of grudge with him, I suppose. See, he stole something from me that he shouldn't have. And so now, I've stolen something from him that I shouldn't have." A smile spread across the boy's face as he came into Jack's line of sight.

"J-Jackson. You… what are you talking about?"

"Well, Jack… why don't you just take a look?"

\- meanwhile -

 **Diglett's Cave**

 **Roughly Ten Minutes Prior**

"I have to get stronger!" Lappe panted as the Diglett and Dugtrio relentlessly circled around and attacked him, popping in and out of view as they dug more tunnels. The Croconaw fired off a lazy water attack, striking, and knocking out one of the Diglett as it resurfaced. Lappe started leaping from side-to-side as more and more clones of himself appeared. The opposing Pokemon were all completely caught off guard, and were even more so confused when each apparition formed a long chunk of ice out of seemingly nothing. "I'll just smash you all with one strike!" Lappe grabbed the pole of ice and dug his claw into it before swinging it around his body, causing it to smash against a number of the Diglett which sent them flying back off into their holes.

Lappe breathed heavily as he fell to a knee, his eyes surveying the tunnel. It seemed that for now, every enemy had been dealt with. At long last, he was getting used to his new body. It had seemed weird at first, but now he was getting back to the speed that he used to know - meanwhile, his power continued to grow at an incredible rate.

"This can't be it though… that Timburr… it was too strong, much too powerful for me… even now I…"

"Heyyy, don't worry about it my man! You're plenty strong as you are now!"

Lappe's eyes widened as he spun around to face the direction that the voice was coming from, only to be met with a black ball to his face. A black light shot forth from it, blinding him completely and knocking him unconscious.

"Or, at least as strong as you'll be able to get on your own. But don't worry, with _these_ you'll feel so much more powerful than you ever thought possible. Just you wait and see…"


	22. Chapter 22

"You didn't… how… how could you?" Jack's whole body shook as he gripped Eff's ball tightly in his left hand with such strength that it began making quiet, cracking sounds under the pressure. His free hand clenched into a fist as he took a step forward, his eyes narrowed and his teeth grit. "You had no right! Give him back to me!"

"Give him back to you?" Jackson smirked as he pulled out the Pokeball, spinning it around on his palm. "He seemed awfully free to me though, didn't he, Eridian? Almost like a wild Pokemon, in fact. Isn't that something that you prided yourself on being able to say, Jack?"

Eridian - a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks of pure-white hair, and amber eyes with a tight fitting lab coat which brushed against his ankles. The boy walked barefoot which made the rest of his outfit look completely ridiculous and out of place. A number of bags and satchels were strapped across his body at various points with a large number of wires linking some of them together, and an even larger number of wires were just hanging around messily outside of the carriers.

The dark-skinned boy smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, quite so. The beast was even training itself, searching for even greater power. All we've done, is fulfilled its wish. The means of which are of no importance. Results are the only thing worth consideration in the grand scheme of things. And of course, if we can get back that Timburr that Jackson so-" The other boy quickly turned his head and glared at Eridian, causing the scientist's son to quickly cover up the wry smile which had been slowly spreading across his face.

"First," Jackson slowly turned his head back towards Jack, "we have no need for _that_ Pokemon. We can snatch up any other fighting type at our leisure. For now though, I want to propose a little game. Nothing too serious, just something to bide our time while we wait for… wait for it… wait... the news." The boy frayed his arms out in a rainbow shape as he finished his little speech.

"The news?" Surge raised his eyebrow, breaking up the kids' conversation for the first time. "What are you waiting for to come on the news?"

Jackson's eyes narrowed as he glared at the Gym Leader. "You know very well what news I'm talking about. It's the announcement that we're _all_ waiting for. The announcement that will finally put a change to this world."

Surge crossed his arms and flexed as hard as he could without making it apparent. "I'm still not catching your drift."

"You're really not good at lying, are you? You know very well what news I'm talking about. We _all_ know the news I'm referring to. The news that _someone_ has been trying their hardest to keep under wraps. The news that's been quieted and pushed further and further back while adults in similar positions to you try their hands at diplomacy. We're waiting for our cue to start the rebellion."

"The bombings…" Jack whispered under his breath, his eyes widening. "How do you know about that?"

"Oh please. A town and a city up and vanish over night and you don't think anyone noticed? All those families killed at once. A number of Gym Leaders, retired trainers, and Elite Four members alike were incinerated and torn to pieces… forgotten champions turned to ash in the rainbow flames of the legendary phoenix Pokemon."

Surge scowled. "You've got no evidence that such a thing actually occurred. I'll not deny that the attack happened since you all seem to be in the know; however, besides the rainbow flames there's no evidence that it was actually Ho-Oh who carried the bombs over the cities."

Eridian scoffed. "If that's really what you want to think. The Republic is far more powerful than you give credit. They have so many weapons at their disposal that you could only start to dream of."

"And you're working with them? I'd never heard of humans being allowed into the forces of Mewtwo. Or is it that you've just got some sick and twisted sort of admiration for them?"

Jen stamped her foot as she took a step forward, her cheeks flushed as she blew them outwards. "You have no ide-"

"Be quiet, Jen." Jackson snapped his neck around and stared the girl down, causing her to cower as his eyes landed on her. "There's no need to reveal our full hand yet. Just let it be known that we're all waiting for the same thing here. There's no need to rush into an unnecessary conflict, which is why I've proposed a simple game. We'll have our little battle so that you can see what a Pokemon is really capable of when you make it a tool instead of a friend. But before that…"

Jackson snapped his fingers. As he did so, Eridian pulled two small cases from the pockets of his lab coat and placed them on the ground in between Jackson and Jack. The young scientist quickly and carefully lifted the single clasps on the containers and turned placed them back-to-back.

"A quick battle with no odds. Nothing to win. Nothing to lose. A fight fought with Pokemon that we've captured and augmented ourselves to be the best that they can be."

Jack looked at the three runaways and then over to Surge. "Augmented? What does that mean?"

Eridian smiled as he pulled a flip phone from one of the numerous bags strapped across his body. "We've dabbled in a number of different Pokemon augmentations and transformations over the past five or six years. My family line is filled with award winning scientists who have devoted themselves to unlocking the truth and history behind Pokemon and people. Once my grandfather discovered how to synthesize mega stones, the funding just continued to pour in and the questions slowed to a dribble. Everything and anything you could ever think of, we've touched on in our experiments. What you see in front of you is of course, one of my favorites though. Please, _try it on_."

"Try it on?" Jack's eyebrow raised as he looked over to Surge, the latter of which simply shrugged his shoulders. Jack walked over to the Gym Leader and handed him the Pokeball in his hand and then made a bee line path for the cases ahead of them. As the boy grew nearer, he could tell that the objects within weren't Pokemon at all… at least… they weren't in Pokeballs. "These are… what… what are these? What have you done?" Jack slowly lifted his hand to his mouth and covered it as he doubled over, fighting back the urge to vomit as the realization slowly flooded over him.

"Military prototypes. Rejects, of course. This particular project was shut down in the early stages, unfortunately. I for one, think it's one of the better applications of our funding however, so I continued it in my own time. Technically, since these are of my own creation they would be marketed as the second version… but regardless, why don't you try it out? If you want to be one with Pokemon, this is certainly the best way to do so, wouldn't you say? What better way to know what it's like to be a Pokemon, to experience its pains and its hardships than to become one? These Pokemon which we acquired were stripped down to the bare essentials and then transformed into these few accessories which capitalize on the strengths of the Pokemon which went into creating them."

Jack stared down at the red, cushioned box which held a pair of gloves with red, octagonal jewels set into some sort of yellow fixture. As the boy reached into the case and picked up one of the gloves, it actually turned out to be long enough to cover his entire arm with holes all along the outside of it which had small violet spines poking out of them.

"Those are some of my favorites. When you put them on, you almost feel like you're going through one of Sailor Gardevoir's transformations. Of course, they'd never put anything like that in a kid's show. Using the remnants of Pokemon to transform is too 'gruesome' for the average person apparently. However, for science… _nothing_ is off limits."

Jackson stepped forward and pulled out a small sword with a spiraling blade, adorned with dark blue and red tufts of hair. "Yes, nothing is off limits… and of course, that includes mystical and legendary Pokemon as well. All Pokemon exist for the sole purpose of furthering the powers and capabilities of us humans. It is their duty to live for us, and to in the end die by our hands as well. No Pokemon, no matter how powerful or rare can escape this fate. If my father only hadn't been so stingy, we could have been so much more powerful now… even without being a battler nowadays, he still holds onto and cherishes his Pokemon like… it's simply disgusting. My mother, she… she's vile. A scourge on this world. Ever since the day that they met, she's been slowly changing him, forcing him to become more and more pathetic. I won't ever let that happen to me. No, not ever. I will stop at nothing to become the most powerful being in the world… this sword, harvested from Keldeo is only the beginning. In time, Eridian and I shall create the most powerful items from the most powerful of Pokemon and rise to the top of this world. We will become PokeGods and rule with an iron fist so that all may know who is truly the superior beings."

"You're mad…" Jack stumbled backwards, slamming close the case in front of him. Surge lobbed Eff's Pokeball in the boy's direction, allowing him to catch it as he distanced himself from Jackson. "You're just as insane as Mewtwo and that whole damned Republic of his… It's no wonder that Eff is so filled with hatred for you… hell… it's even filling me up now. I can't control this anger, I just… I want to destroy you… I want to make sure that you can never hurt a Pokemon like this again. You… all of you… you're no longer human… you're monsters…"

Jen winced as Jack threw insult after insult at her and her friends. The young girl slowly stepped away, taking refuge behind Eridian and his numerous machines. Jackson grinned as his eyes grew wild. The sword in his hand extended and began to shine as its blade was quickly covered in a fine mist.

"Fight me if you will, but that Timburr has no hope of beating me in this form. Trust me, he's already had his chance and failed."

Jack stared down at the Pokeball in his hand and gripped it even tighter. Eff's eyes slowly opened inside of his confinement. The gaze of trainer and Pokemon locked momentarily, and the hatred within both surged forward, forcing Jack's hand. The boy's arm swung behind him and then shot forward, propelling the ball forward. Eff exploded out in a black-ish red aura before the Pokeball returned to Jack's hand.

The Timburr spit on the ground next to him and then began to spin the crowbar like a master martial artist. "Just because you captured me that doesn't mean I'll obey your orders. You're still too weak to control me, _kid_."

As Eff spoke, Jack pressed the button in the center of the Pokeball so hard that his thumb shattered it. The boy dug his fingers into the tiny opening and ripped the ball in half before tossing it out in front of the Timburr. "I don't need to order you, because we both want the same thing. I didn't want to have to capture you, but you left me no choice. But now, you're free once more. Free to take out your revenge in whatever way you see fit."

The Timburr's head turned, his eyes only just meeting with Jack's. "Y'know, you're not too bad for a human… then again, that could just be the brainwashing mechanic you humans are so fond of…"

"Regardless, all you need to worry about now is destroying that beast ahead of you."

"With pleasure."


	23. Chapter 23

Jackson laughed maniacally as he watched the duo 'ready' themselves.

"What do you think you're laughing at," Jack questioned.

"Hope and believe all that you might, Jack. That Timburr has no chance at beating me. As I said before, he already had his chance. He failed, and because of that, I released him. He fared well enough against the others of his type while under the influence of my dark balls, and he did hold some promise. However, all of that is gone from my mind now. He's not even worthy of becoming a weapon to me. He's garbage. A torn and tattered hide that should have been torn apart and ceased to move long ago."

"You don't know the things I've been through…" Eff gripped the crowbar tightly in his hands as the veins on his arms bulged. "You don't know the strength that I have hidden within me. You humans are always the same." The Timburr turned slightly to look at Jack as he spoke. The Pokemon winced in pain as his eyes met with the boy's, causing him to quickly spin back around to face Jackson. "I may have lost before, but…"

"He may have lost before, but you were still running through the forest with the fear of Arceus in your eyes back when I first met him!" Jack stepped forward, taking a knee and placing his hand on the Pokemon's shoulder. "I know you can do it, Eff. I need you to do it so that I can get my friend back from them. If it comes down to it, I'll… I'll…"

Eff smirked and then brushed away Jack's hand. "Don't even try it, kid." The Pokemon shook its head and then flexed its muscles once more, setting aside its concerns about its capture for the moment. "I already freed a number of the Pokemon that they'd captured with the intention of harvesting. It's my duty to free Pokemon taken in by humans like them. A task that I accepted from Mewtwo himself! I won't fail to liberate any Pokemon from an unworthy, uncaring, or cruel human!" The Timburr paused for a moment and then slowly took up a fighting stance as it narrowed its eyes. "I won't let anyone interfere with my duty - human, or otherwise."

Jackson smiled wide as the tufts of hair around the sword in his hand grew longer. "Keldeo, awaken." As he spoke, the weapon began to glow with a bright blue light. Several seconds passed before the blinding light faded, and when it finally did, it was revealed that the sword had fused with the boy's arm. The hilt of the weapon had elongated, and grown to cover Jackson's entire arm up to and including part of his shoulder with red, blue, and purple tufts of hair which had formed in tight and compact layers over his skin, giving off the appearance of a protuberant musculature. The clothes had torn away from his body in the area surrounding the transformation, and the blade of the sword had grown even longer than before - now measuring around three feet in length. "I can feel its power surging through me, Eridian. You were right, modifications were necessary to unleash its full power. Alas, I don't believe I'll be needing it for this fight… however..." Jackson gave a toothy grin as he stretched his arm out, pointing the blade at the Timburr. "It _is_ always good to teach a lesson when one is due."

The young scientist quickly retrieved the case which still held the gloves that Jack had refused to wear. "It'd be a shame if these were unnecessarily damaged during the battle… speaking of, Jackson, would you like to show them the Starmie that they refused?"

Jackson waved his hand at his companion. "Unnecessary." The boy lifted the arm which had fused with the weapon up against his chest and then extended it back out a number of times. "I need to get the feel for it still… this sensation is strange, to say the least. However, I will beat down this Timburr and then we'll be on our way. It'd be unfortunate if my father caught up to us at this point, so we'd best make it a hasty encounter."

Surge grunted. "So, you really are the kids from that news program then? I'd been in touch with Lorelei a few times since she left the Elite Four, given that for years she had been an advocate for my promotion. Not to mention the fact that the port falls under my jurisdiction… it would be best for me step in now and send you all back to your families, wouldn't it?" The Gym Leader laughed quietly to himself. "That being said, I don't much feel like throwing my all into training this other kid as of yet. With only those two green Gym Leaders to vouch for his strength, it's hard to really determine if he's worth the energy or not. So go ahead and fight to your heart's content. Show me what you're all capable of and then I'll make up my mind as to whether or not to call the Police, or your parents."

"Are you serious?" Jack turned and called out to Surge. "They've clearly been doing inhumane and downright horrifying things to innocent and helpless Pokemon for who knows how long now! Hell, they even went so far as to maim a legendary simply for its horn! How can you just sit there and laugh like nothing's going on?"

"Kid," Surge slowly sat on the ground and crossed his legs. "You've got a lot to learn. The world of Pokemon as well as the one of adults isn't all peaches and cream. Sure, you've witnessed firsthand the bombing of a couple of cities. You might have even seen a few people die. That's nothing, compared to the horrors that I went through in the war. The things that these kids are doing? It's nothing that I haven't seen before - nothing I haven't fought to stop at all costs. So forgive me, if I want to wait it out and see if you've got enough guts to stand being put through all that I've gone through myself. I won't tolerate any kind of weakness, whether it's physical, mental, or emotional. If you're going to fight against the Republic in this next war, and believe me, it is escalating to a war, then you need to at least be able to defeat these few kids here and now with only that wild Pokemon by your side!" The Leader slammed his fist into the ground and scowled.

Jack turned deathly white and quickly became silent. His eyes fell to the ground as he crouched down towards it, gripping at the hem of his pants as he bit his lip. "Just go… fight, Eff. I believe in you."

Jackson smiled a toothy grin and then lifted his sword. "Well then, Timburr, are you ready? I'll at least give you the chance to focus, not that it'll account for much."

The Pokemon nodded, taking one final look at Jack before lifting the crowbar up like a baseball bat. The Timburr lunged at Jackson, swinging with the rounded end of the weapon which had suddenly grown alive with flames.

"Ah, but no such luck. You'll need to be faster than that."

Jackson shoved the blade of the sword into the split of the crowbar's tip and fired off a rapid burst of bubbles from the point of the weapon. The bubbles flew through the air and exploded in Eff's face, sending the Pokemon flying backwards from the force. Eff skidded to a halt, digging the crowbar into the ground as he rolled back up to his feet. The Pokemon wiped away a trickle of blood which was flowing from its mouth before rushing at Jackson once more.

"I know all of your moves. There's nothing you can do to surprise me. You've been weighed, measured, and found wanting. You're not even worth the air that you breathe." Jackson slapped Eff in the back of his head with the flat of the sword, knocking the Pokemon over before stabbing the weapon through its hand.

"Fuck!" Eff screamed out as Jackson twisted the blade and pushed it deeper.

The Pokemon's hand was gripped tightly around the crowbar he so cherished, but it meant nothing in the face of a weapon of such caliber. With nary a grunt, Jackson pressed the blade clean through Eff's hand and shattered the item in the Pokemon's hand before the blade breached the earth beneath him.

The boy pressed the blade deeper into the ground until the hilt was flush against the top of Eff's hand. Jackson put his knee in the Pokemon's back and held down its other arm with his free hand as he lowered his head down to its ear. "Do you see now, Timburr? You mean nothing to me. No matter how you tried to play yourself up, you were never going to be a match for our power. You're just another wild Pokemon."

Jackson twisted the Pokemon's arm which he had been holding down with his free hand, causing it to snap out of place. Eff screamed out in pain as the boy continued to twist on his arm and then began to pull at it, tugging it further from its socket. Jen quickly strode up to Jackson, who had only just begun to acknowledge her presence before he was slapped across the face.

The boy released Eff, rising from his position as he gently rubbed his reddened cheek. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Jen?"

"That's... that's enough, Jackson!" The girl's face was covered in tears and her cheeks were flushed. "There's no need to go that far… is there? You proved your point, so just move on with what you were doing."

Jack stared at the girl who had just slapped sense into the monster in front of him. His jaw hung open as he wondered what was going to happen now. His whole body was shaking in fear now, having lost the only thing that was possibly capable of defending him. The boy fell backwards until he was sitting on his heels and then placed one hand over his mouth, and the other over his stomach as he saw the trail of blood inching towards him from the hole in Eff's hand..

Jackson scowled and then turned to stare at Jack. "I still don't understand you, Jen. You're too particular for my tastes. Honestly. You're the scariest one out of all of us. Even I couldn't have done what you did, but still you... in the three months since my parents took you in, I haven't been able to figure you out." the boy shook his head.

Jack slowly rose to his feet, his whole body shaking as he did so. The boy looked over to the Gym Leader who sat only a few feet away from him. The man's eyes were fixed on the Timburr, laying helpless on the ground, but his body remained stiff and still. "Aren't you going to do something? These people are out of control! Isn't it your duty to do something here?"

Surge slowly turned his gaze to Jack before rising to his feet and brushing off his camouflage pants. The leader slowly walked over to the boy and briefly turned his gaze towards Jackson who was wiping the blood off of his sword. "Do you see that Timburr over there? You might as well have been told the exact same words as it was. You're not worth the time or the energy necessary."

Jack's eyes widened as he watched Surge quickly turn his back and walk away. "So then you're just going to let me die? Let this innocent Pokemon die?"

"Innocent?" The Lieutenant scoffed. "Isn't that Pokemon part of the Republic that destroyed your home? I would expect you to be happy with this outcome. It is a sort of revenge, after all. A short reprieve; a little light given to you from Arceus before you too are beaten down and pass on to the next life. Only the strong survive in this world, Jack. Reflect on that for what little time you have left before that boy flays you."

Jackson smiled wickedly as he watched the tears begin to stream down Jack's face. "How does it feel Jack, to have your one, final chance at salvation just up and walk away from you?" The boy laughed maniacally before squeezing the shoulder which had been fused with the sword, causing the weapon to revert to its original form. "Slumber, my weapon. I can't wait to take my time with you. I can only imagine what it'll sound like when you squeal."

"Hmph, this is exactly why I only take interest in the ladies of this region. You men are all too harsh for my tastes." Matt stepped in front of Surge, stopping him from abandoning Jack. "What would compel you to walk away from such a situation? Weren't you once set to be promoted to Elite Four status? Surely this isn't something that they would condone, is it? As Jack said, it is your duty to stop this _Lieutenant_."

Jack's body shook and his mouth quivered, changing between a frown and a smile with each shake. Another lifeline appeared before him, and a seemingly more sensible one at that. Despite the way that he acted around others and what he'd put him through, the boy couldn't help but feel grateful for Matt's sudden appearance.

Surge scowled. "Kris and Forrest both contacted me about this boy, saying that he was one of the strongest that they'd ever seen and that I needed to nurture and protect him like some sort of child, chosen by destiny. It's goddamn ridiculous. He can't even hold his own in a fight, and you expect me to take him under my wing and pretend to like him? Look at him! He damn near pissed himself already and that other kid hasn't even approached him yet!"

"Did you not see what that child did to Eff? What he's done to Lappe? Surely you haven't forgotten the Iron-Masked Marauder's arsenal? What these kids are packing goes far beyond that. You can't possibly expect him to go up alone against something like that, with only a single Pokemon that couldn't care less about him!"

"He captured that Timburr. It even said that Jack had started to grow on him. There's no denying that they formed a connection through… through the you know what…"

"No. I don't know, because that's not possible."

"What do you mean?"

"The ball that captured Eff was one of my own designs. I love Pokemon, Surge. You should know this since we served in the war together! You should know that I haven't changed since then, seeing as how I run the fan club in your very own city. You've even come in on several occasions to raise the orphaned! Why would I knowingly give Jack something that could potentially brainwash a Pokemon to do his bidding? Every Pokeball that I own now, I've made with my own hands. Each Pokemon I've captured, has been of its own desire. I lost every one of my friends in that war, and swore to never take advantage of another Pokemon for so long as I lived!"

"Then that would mean that… that Timburr…"

"Dammit Surge! You need to help that child! We can argue about all of this later. Right now, your electric types are our best option to end this battle before something even worse happens!"

Jack was completely stunned by what Matt had said. He knew that the man had snuck a ball into his bag, but for it to be free of the brainwashing function that he'd been worried about… that could potentially change everything. The boy's gaze slowly shifted to meet with Eff's. The Pokemon had pursed its lips and closed its eyes. For a moment, the entire city had fallen silent, and everyone had heard what Matt had said.

Eff hit his head against the ground and laughed. "Shit, I must be growing soft. Thinking that I actually had grown to like a human? What a fucking joke. To think there wasn't even a brainwashing mechanism in that ball he forced me into… I must've made a mockery of myself." The Pokemon slowly rose to its feet, blood trailing from its mouth down its chest and onto the ground below it, mixing with the drops which continued to fall from his hand.

Jackson looked over his shoulder, staring down the Timburr as he watched it struggle to its feet. The Pokemon was breathing heavily, and its movements were slow and lethargic. "You're done. Just go to sleep and stay out of my way."

Eff wiped his cheek against his shoulder and then shook off the jacket on his back. The Pokemon slowly wrapped the leather around his wounded hand, and then dug its teeth into its dislocated arm. The Timburr raised its head, bringing the arm in his mouth with it. "I'm not done yet," he said, his voice muffled by the limb clenched between his teeth. His fists sparked with electricity as he stumbled forward. "I have to… defend… my… honor… even if it means that I… that I…"

Jackson quickly turned, his eyes filled with hate and anger as he slammed his fist into the Pokemon's face. The Timburr tumbled backwards without any resistance, falling unconscious the second that its head touched the ground.

Jack clenched his fists and became filled with anger. Sure, they hadn't been travelling for long. Sure, Eff had put him in the hospital. Sure, they'd both done wrong to the other… but Eff had just been ready to risk its life to fight on behalf of himself, Jack, and Lappe for no reason other than it's own desire to. It only seemed right that Jack do the same, or at least tried his best to. The boy rushed at Jackson before he'd even begun to turn around. Jack pulled his fist back and had grit his teeth, ready to throw everything he had into this one punch in the hope that it would knock Jackson out.

However, nothing ever goes according to plan. Jackson's head turned, and with it, the sword in his hand was raised to meet Jack's fist. The weapon slid into Jack's hand as if it were butter. The weapon split the boy's arm in half, starting between his ring and middle finger and running all the way up to his elbow before it slipped out of his flesh. Jack stumbled forward after his attack failed and he screamed out in pain, wrapping his uninjured arm around the split one as best as he could.

The boy clawed at the skin on his arm as he wished for it to simply grow back together and the pain to fade away. He'd fucked up, that much was for sure. And now, he was completely out of options. He'd effectively cut Surge and Matt off from himself, putting the much faster Jackson in between them all. No Pokemon, regardless of how fast could have intervened in time to save him now. Jack stared up at Jackson as the boy flung his arm outwards, sending the blood flying from his blade.

Surge and Matt watched on with eyes wide open and mouths ajar. Surge felt around inside of his pockets for his Pokeballs, but even if the electric types at his disposal were fast, there wouldn't have been enough time for them to act after coming free of their confinement. The Gym Leader watched helplessly at Jackson raised the weapon above his head. Matt put his hand on Surge's shoulder and squeezed at tightly as he could.

"This could have all been avoided, Surge… do you see what you've done? You old fool…"

Jackson smiled wildly as the weapon rose above his head. The boy looked up the blade's length and then down at Jack. "Don't worry, Jack. I'll take good care of your Croconaw once we turn him into a headpiece. And hey, who knows… maybe we'll figure out how to harvest humans in a similar way and make use of your body at some point?"

Jack stared up, helplessly as the blade slowly made its descent. It seemed as though time had slowed hundreds of times over. Everything he'd ever done and had ever hoped to do flashed before his eyes. He bit down into his lip, causing it to bleed and trickle down his face as he searched for any way out of the situation.

But there was nothing. Jack accepted his fate, closed his eyes and awaited the fall of the blade.

He waited, and waited. Several seconds passed, but there was nothing save for the pain of his lip and his arm which had been split in half. The boy slowly opened his eyes and saw the weapon, frozen in time. Jack's eyes quickly switched between the sword, Jackson, Surge, Matt, Eridian, Jen and Eff. Everyone, and everything had stopped in its tracks, leaving only him aware of what was now going on. The boy slowly pushed himself away from the path of the weapon and continued to clench his arm as he surveyed his surroundings.

"Hello? Is… is there anyone out there? I need help… please… it hurts so bad…"

Jack bit his lip again and fought back the burning sensation that came with tears. He didn't know what this was, but he did know he shouldn't be wasting time with crying. Jack attempted to stand, but as soon as he had risen to a single knee he became too lightheaded and dizzy to continue. Jack lazily fell over and then started to scoot his way over to Eff since the Timburr was the closest thing to him. As the boy reached the Pokemon, he placed his good hand over the Pokemon's chest and felt for a pulse.

"Nothing… absolutely nothing… what the hell is this… is this… hell? What's going on?" Jack started to panic, slowly rolling from side to side as he searched for anyone or anything else that could help him. The boy clenched his fist and pressed his eyes close before pounding against the Timburr beside him. "What the fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Fuck! Dammit!" Jack rolled over and quickly rose to his feet, closing his eyes as he felt the familiar dizziness. "Fuck you," he screamed out as he started running blindly through the city. "Please! Anyone! I need help! Please!"

Jack ran through the city frozen in time, and then made his way out into the route which lead into it. The world had gone silent, and all that moved or breathed in it now was him. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly lost hope. His eyes fluttered open every so often, but all that he could see when they did were the vague shapes of other trainers, Pokemon, grass and buildings.

'Where are you going, Jack?' The voice echoed within his head, throwing his head into a vicious throb. 'I'm back the other way, aren't you going to come see me? I just barely made it, didn't I? I know you're not dead yet. This is the time you sent me to, after all. Why don't you come back, old friend.'

The voice slowly disappeared, and with its dispersal his vision slowly cleared. Jack crawled back to his feet and looked all around him. "Who's there? Where are you?"

'Here. Back here. Come to where I stopped it all so that we can meet. You can't be dying just yet, you know. There's a destiny to fulfill still.'

"Who are you?" Jack screamed as he wobbled back into the city he'd just escaped from. "Where are you? Why won't you answer me?"

'Because, Jack, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. You'd have to see to believe. After all, from your point of view this is the first time that we've had the pleasure of meeting.'

"What do you mean? Where are you?"

'The clearing. Come to the clearing.'

Jack stumbled, crawled, and ran all the way back to where he'd started. His eyes scanned the area, but found that nothing was different from when he'd last been there. He stumbled over to a few of the houses which were nearby and peered through the drawn curtains, wondering if the voice was coming from someone within. Most of the buildings completely empty, but one which had been directly behind where he was when he first awoke in this frozen world had a woman clasping her hand over her mouth as she presumably watched the battle unfold.

'There, now, Jack, what say you we fix up that arm of yours? Oh, and I can't forget Eff either, can I? He still has to grow big and strong before next we meet.'

"Who are you? Where? I thought you said I could see you if I came back here?"

'You're right, I believe I did say that. I thought I'd try and keep being mysterious, seeing as how I only have this one chance to make a first impression. Look, up above you.'

Jack's eyes slowly rose to the sky. In this world, even the sun had been frozen in place, its rays falling to the Earth like pillars. From between these radiant pillars, a Pokemon began to descend.

"Y-you're!"

'Yes, Jack. I am, am.' The voice chuckled as it landed in front of the boy. 'I am Dialga, the ruler of Time. Also, it just so happens that I am, or shall be a close acquaintance of yours in times to come. Now, what say you I make good on that promise?'


	24. Chapter 24 - End of Part 1

Dialga stomped its foot, causing a visible ripple to emanate from it. The ripple spread slowly from the impact, grower in speed the farther that it traveled until it passed through Jack's body, leaving him with a tingling sensation that lingered for several seconds.

"What was that?"

The Pokemon nodded its head and lifted gently off the ground before floating over to Eff. The ripple which came from Dialga's foot continued on its omni-directional path, passing quickly through everything with a gentle shake. Far off in the distance, somewhere over the sea a Pokemon's roar could be heard echoing back through the silence of this frozen world.

"That should slow him down for now, even if I'm not quite as powerful as she is. Regardless, the main reason for that stomp was this. Look, Jack."

The Pokemon bowed its head, rolling Eff over so that Jack could see the Timburr's face. The boy stared down at the Pokemon and then looked over his shoulder for a moment, wondering what the cry that he'd heard had been. Jack stared at the still ocean for a second, letting his eyes scan slowly over the horizon before returning his attention to Eff and Dialga.

"W-what is this?"

"Well, being so young I've hardly had time to practice with my powers, so this is the best I could do. You'll… [i]eventually[/i] tell me about it, once you finally remember. I'm not a healing Pokemon, that's not really my thing. However, by reversing something or someone's time, I can undo the damage that they'd incurred from recent actions. I'm sure that in time I'll be able to do more with this ability, but for now this is it."

Jack kneeled down over the Timburr and lifted him up into his arms, rubbing his hand over the Pokemon's injuries as they slowly disappeared. As the last of the injuries disappeared, the Pokemon's eyes peeled open and a quiet breath escaped his mouth.

"W-where am I? What… did you… what about that other boy? The one that I was fighting?"

Tears filled Jack's eyes as an overwhelming warm feeling flooded his body. The boy pulled the Pokemon into his chest and then fell on his heels.

"Oh I'm so glad that you're okay, Eff. If something happened to you too I don't know what I'd do."

"Hey kid, why're you getting so emotional?" The Pokemon chuckled lightly, but didn't push Jack away. "It's not like we're friends or anything. We just had a common enemy for a moment."

Dialga landed on the ground with a thud and then began to survey the horizon. The Pokemon's mouth opened as if it wanted to say something, but then decided not to as it struggled to find a comfortable position in which to lay.

"Is… is that-"

"Yeah, it's Dialga. I guess we have some kind of history together, though I don't know what it could be."

Eff's eyes grew wide as he stared at the legendary Pokemon. "I never would have imagined that I'd meet one of the creation trio. Here I thought I was lucky enough just to have been personally welcomed to the Republic by Mewtwo."

Dialga grunted and then laid its head on the ground, its eyes fixed on Jack. "So, what's your plan then?"

"Plan?" Jack looked over at the legendary Pokemon. "What do you mean?"

"Well, as of right now our time is running short. Lappe is still stuck within the dark ball and remains under its influence. It's such a powerful piece of technology that even I cannot undo its influence… the same unfortunately goes for the other devices which that group is currently utilizing. Keldeo's body has long since deteriorated, to the point that its horn is all that remains of its existence, and the same goes for the plethora of other tools which they're currently carrying."

The veins on Eff's body bulged as it struggled to roll over in Jack's arms. The Pokemon struggled to find Jackson and Eridian after crawling out of the boy's arms. This frozen point in time was the perfect opportunity to get in a few good whacks while they were vulnerable.

"Don't worry, Eff. You'll have your chance eventually. There's more to do in the here and now though. Revenge must wait until you've grown stronger. As you are now, you could hardly handle a single tool from a man who doesn't even consider you to be the same to him as the insects crushed by his boots. How do you think you'd fare if he put his mind into it? How do you think you'd fare if the entirety of his organization came down on you?"

Eff froze in place, appearing visibly shaken.

"Eff, maybe it's better if we do just let them leave this time. I mean… what they've done here…" Jack clenched his fist and began to violently shake. "What they've been doing to Pokemon all this time is wrong… it's unforgivable. I can't stand to think of what they'll do if they're given the chance to get away, but… we really don't stand a chance right now. Even if we did have Lappe by our side-"

"Yes, speaking of Lappe." Dialga slowly rose back to its feet. "As I said before, you're running low on time. I've tried my best to extend your short window as far as I could, but there's only so much I can do as I am now. We all have training to do before we meet next, that much is for certain. However, in order to meet again you'll need to rescue Lappe. And like I said, he's still under the influence of the dark balls and there's nothing I can do to free him. It has to be the two of you to bring him back, otherwise your hope will be lost."

"Then… what are we to do?" Jack ran his hand through his hair and then clenched a clump of it as he thought.

"As I recall, Eff once had a habit of breaking Pokemon free from a similar form of captivity." Dialga walked towards Jack and then craned its head so that the boy could see the dark ball on its back. "Let him do what he is best at, with the time that you have left."

Jack nodded, taking the dark pokeball in his hand. "Lappe… Eff, are you ready for this? I don't know what these dark Pokemon are like exactly, but if worst comes to worst, I think we'll have to beat the manipulation out of him."

The Timburr stared at Jack and then at the ball. "I'll do what I have to do. It is my duty to free Pokemon. This is the job given to me by Mewtwo himself. I will not fail, no matter what." Eff clenched the crowbar in his hands as if it were a baseball bat.

Jack nodded and then took several steps back before spiking the pokeball. A spiraling beam of black and red shot forth as a discolored Croconaw with a missing arm sprung forth from within. The Pokemon's eyes were bloodshot and its mouth had filled with razor sharp teeth. The Pokemon let out a menacing, animalistic scream as it shot forth a torrent of water into the air.

"Lappe…" Jack whispered as he took a step forward, only to take it back as the Pokemon's head twisted around to glare at him.

Eff twisted the crowbar in his hands and then coated the weapon in electricity, wasting no time in rushing towards the former ally. "I'm sorry…"

"Cro-Cro-Croco- n-n-n…. J-Jack…" Lappe pressed its hand against its head as it swung its body around violently, fighting against the darkness within its head. "Jack!"

Just as Lappe screamed out his friend's name, Eff whacked him in the back of the head, sending the Croconaw crumbling to the ground. "Well shit… I hope I didn't paralyze the guy…"

Jack looked down at his friend and rubbed his hand against his forehead. The boy looked to his other hand, which still held the dark ball which the Croconaw had just been held in. Small cracks began to form across the ball, and in seconds it had broken open and was in the process of turning to dust.

"A small enough target to practice with." Dialga stepped forward and then motioned towards the brainwashing pokeball. "Without an inhabitant, this piece of technology is useless and no more resistant to my powers than a regular stone. However, there's nothing much else I can do at this moment. I wish I could tell you more of the times to come for the both of us, but I cannot. For me, the future has yet to start, and for you, it is only just beginning to end."

"I still don't understand…" as Jack spoke, the cry of a Pokemon came once more from over the ocean. "What… what is that?"

"That is… something that I should not yet meet. It is unfortunate, but for you, this is an opportunity that shouldn't be passed upon. For now, Jack, take from my chest a shard of the crystal. You shan't use it when next we meet, nor the time after. When the time comes to present it to me, I'm sure we will both be certain."

Jack's eyebrows raised as he pressed his hand against the Pokemon's chest. The crystal split surprisingly easy, forming an 'x' shaped crack in it as Jack pulled a piece from its center.

"Now don't go thinking this is just some useless piece of gem. This item holds some part of my power that I even I do not yet know of. I will tell you, you'll find a use for this crystal before you meet me here last. You mustn't miss that opportunity, or the entire timeline will be thrown off and all that we will have prepared for shall be lost." The Pokemon stared out over the ocean and then nodded. "My power over the time here is up."

Dialga stomped its foot against the ground once more, letting loose a roar which caused a ringing in Eff and Jack's ears. The ring which had been spreading from the Pokemon's foot initially, now surged back into its body at a rate that was thousands of times faster than that which it had first spread. As the ring was absorbed back into the Pokemon's body, time resumed its natural course.

"D-Dialga! I can't believe it!" Eridian took several steps forward and then fell to his knees. "Oh the tools that I could make with a Pokemon such as you! Won't you join us and change this world in a way which time and space could never hope to alone?"

"No. My hopes side with only one human. Jack is both the future and the past of this world. He and his allies shall rewrite this timeline and defeat the darkness which lurks beyond the boundaries of your lifetimes."

Jackson flew forward, his whole body covered in tufts of fur reminiscent of Keldeo's mane. "If you won't side with us, then I'll just have to defeat you and take your power by force!"

Dialga wrenched its head back and then slammed it down on Jackson as the boy closed in on him. The boy crashed into the ground, but quickly began to fly back up towards the legendary Pokemon.

"Don't you have bigger things to worry about, boy? Do you not hear the cries over the seas? [i]They're coming for you.[/i]"

"Be that as it may! They'll never catch us, so long as we have our tools!"

"Then perhaps it is time for me to step in?" Surge took several steps forward and pulled over a dozen pokeballs from his pockets.

The gym leader stopped, however, when a much louder cry came from over the ocean. Whatever the Pokemon making that sound was, it was drawing consistently closer.

"Brrrriiiiii!"

Jackson's eyes widened and he quickly ripped open one of the bags that he'd brought with him, revealing a honeycomb structure which he pressed against his chest and quickly activated, revealing a small set of wings which lifted him off the ground. The boy took off too the North in an instant, not saying a single word as he did so.

Eridian and Jen quickly gathered up the rest of their things and took off, following their leader. Eridian turned to face the group as he ran, a smirk upon his face. "Whatever may come, know that you'll be too late to stop the advancements that Zoeae Rocket will continue to make!"

Surge quickly let loose a Magnemite from one of his pokeballs and pointed off in the direction of the troublemakers. "Follow them. Find out where their base is."

"Did he say… Zoeae Rocket?" Jack recalled Team Rocket, but couldn't for the life of him remember why it would be relevant now.

"It seems so. There'd been some reports of humans and Pokemon alike with tattoos of 'ZR' on them, but until now we've not known what it could be."

"ZR… I… I remember seeing something like that in the mountains around Mount Moon only a little bit after the bombings happened."

"I see… so then you know where one of their bases are as well."

"As well? What do you mean?"

Surge sighed and then rubbed the back of his head. "Look, kid. A lot has happened today. What do you say we call it and pick this up after you've had some rest and we figured up a training regime for you and your Pokemon?"

Jack clenched his fist, hating the thought of having something being hidden from him. "Fine," he said, reluctant to actually trust Surge after all that he'd done. He did need the training from him however, so this was all that he could do for now. Jackson was completely out of his league at the moment, so all that he could do for now was prepare for what was to come.

"Brii, brii!" The cry came from only a short distance away as Jack slowly turned to face the little green Pokemon which hovered around his body. "Brii!"

"Celebi, that's enough." A man who was roughly the same age as Surge walked up to the Pokemon and waved his hand at it. Celebi looked at the man and then spun around Jack a few more times before going back to sitting on the mysterious man's shoulder.

"So, Garet, seems like you finally showed up. Saw you on the news last night." Surge grunted as he took a few steps toward the mysterious man.

Jack looked up and down the man's body taking in his attire which appeared to be ancient. Garet? Where had he heard that name before?

"Looks like I just missed my son. Celebi wanted to stop in though, said it sensed something familiar but all it wanted to see was that kid. Suppose I should get back on the road though. It took surprisingly longer than expected to get here, but I can't figure out why."

Jack pocketed the piece of Dialga's crystal which he'd been clenching in his hand the whole time. There was an aura around this Garet that made the boy weary of him… perhaps it was due in part to the fact that he'd just referred to one of those three as his kid.

"Well, don't suppose you'd want to catch up, eh?" Surge placed his hand on Garet's shoulder, only to have it shoved off.

"You know as well as I that there are more important things to be done right now than 'catch up'. The letter came just before Jackson disappeared. Whatever he's up to, it needs to be stopped before it affects anything else."

"Well I suppose you'd best be off then." Surge brushed past the man and grabbed Jack by the shoulder, herding him in to the gym. "I've got training to do, myself. I'll be seeing you when the time comes I suppose."

Garet stood, motionless and staring at Jack as he disappeared into the gym alongside Surge. "Yeah, be seein' you."


	25. Chapter 25 - Part 2 Begins

"Today marks the fourth week of the assault on the Freed Kanto Pokemon Republic's base of operations in Saffron City."

Jack pulled his shirt over his shoulders and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he looked up at the small television in the corner of the room. He leaned over to pick up a water bottle and winced in pain as the movement aggrevated the sore, newly gained muscles which had taken over his once stick-like figure. The boy's body had completely transformed in the time under Surge's tutelage, but the extent to which his actual abilities had actually increased was uncertain.

"One month ago today, the Elite Four revealed that the Republic had weaponized Pokemon under their control, in order to bomb a total of three cities over a single night. Following the reveal of the attack, informational bounties were set for the three fingers of Mewtwo, as well as the mastermind itself. The first of the fingers, Ho-Oh, the rainbow Pokemon whose flames still burn around Pallet Town, Viridian City and Pewter City, hasn't been seen since the attacks were announced, whereas West the Pidgeot and Dara the Sableye have been reported as fighting on the front lines. Any information regarding these three fingers as well as anything pertaining to their leader, Mewtwo should be sent to..."

Jack tuned out as the reporter continued on to tell where information on the noteworthy Pokemon should be sent. Jack clenched the shirt in his fist, causing the veins on his arms to bulge with his irritation. During his time under Surge, the boy had spent hours upon hours honing his own body alongside his Pokemon. The Gym Leader pit his own collection of Pokemon against Jack's two in hopes of expediting their leveling. Due to Surge's training, Jack's body wasn't the only one to go through a transformation. The once small Timburr had evolved into a much taller than average Gurdurr, and had departed with his signature crowbar in favor of a street lamp which he'd said felt more natural to his new body than the much smaller weapon he'd previously been using.

"What do you think you're doing?" Surge walked into the room with his right arm in a sling. "I didn't say for you to stop, did I? You know as well as I that you're nowhere near ready yet. A month of simple muscle building isn't the same as learning actual combat."

"Yeah? And what about you? You already had the opportunity to go off to that battle. Just because you're scared doesn't mean that you should hold me back too." Jack shifted on his feet, wrapping the shirt around his neck and holding tightly onto each end as he tried his best to look intimidating.

"Jack. Listen." The gym leader walked slowly over to a bench that he'd put across from where Jack had been doing his daily training. "You've toned your muscles up a bit, but that's not enough. Jackson is still out there somewhere, even if he has kept his head down since we encountered him last. His tools… they're not something you can beat the way that you are now. Besides him, there's all different types of Pokemon in the Republic, the likes of which include legendary and mythical Pokemon. You, a Croconaw, and a Gurdurr aren't going to be enough to stop them. Not now, and likely not ever. My Pokemon were seasoned veterans - ones that I'd kept with me ever since the Great Kanto War. They knew how to fight humans. They knew how to fight other Pokemon. The fact that…" The leader stopped and stared off into the distance. Surge gripped his pants with his left hand with such intensity that his whole body began to shake. "The fact that they were killed out there… it should make it more than apparent that you're no match for what's going on in the real world. This, here, this place, it's your whole world right now. You wake up, you train, you eat, you train and you sleep. Out there, there's no schedule. There's no eating or sleeping sometimes. There's a surplus of uncertainty and danger."

Jack stared at his feet, knowing full well that what his mentor was saying was true. The boy clenched his hands into fists and bit his lip.

"What of the barrier?" Lappe waddled up, clearing himself a path through the Magneton and Electrode that he'd managed to defeat. "Have they made any progress on it?"

The Lieutenant shook his head. "The leader of Saffron City is nowhere to be found, and the Psychic types at our disposal right now are no match for the legion of Alakazam that they've got fueling that thing. The news says that we're all fighting to control the front lines, but that's a lie. There is no front line. Every day, that front line changes as the forces of the Republic grow stronger and their barrier grows larger."

The Croconaw fell onto its butt and looked at the front windows of the gym, all of which had been boarded up in case of a bombing. "Then what's the point? If the barrier is only growing larger each day, wouldn't it be just as beneficial to us at this point to up and leave? What good will another month of training do us, if we even have that much time? Do they know exactly how fast it's expanding?"

Surge shook his head. "When I was out there, we'd go to bed one night, only to wake up the next morning with anywhere from a handful to over a dozen troops missing. Entire tents were overtaken by the barrier at times, whereas at others only a few inches had been gained. It's incredibly inconsistent, and nobody is sure why. Professor Oak and Professor Elm have both been looking into it, searching for any weak spots. If Gary Oak were around, he'd be a massive help… but…"

"He was in Viridian… alongside Brock…" Jack shook his head. "Damn. They got the drop on us, didn't they?" The boy choked back a laugh. "I can't believe this shit…"

Surge sighed and then looked up to the television. "Well, they're speaking some truth at least."

Jack's gaze rose to the small screen in the corner. His eyes took several seconds to adjust to the small picture, but he was still in a daze, wondering just what he should do.

"Reports have also started trickling in concerning the Pokerus virus. While the virus was once considered to be harmless, new activity surrounding Pokerus has quickly shifted the public and scientific perspective on it. Across the Kanto region, Pokemon infected with the Pokerus virus have been 'melting,' for lack of a better word. We now go live to our reporter in the field, Po Kackman. Po, what can you tell us about these melting symptoms that Pokemon are starting to experience?"

The image cut to a dark-skinned man whose eyes were bloodshot. The field reporter's eyes continuously darted from side to side as if he were warily searching for something. "Th-thank you Trish. I'm out here on route… what... what route are we on again?" The camera shook slightly as the reporter squinted his eyes, looking somewhere off beyond the lens and what the viewers could see. "R-right! Route Nine! We're out here on Route Nine, observing these Pokemon which have been infected with the Pokerus virus. R-reports have been coming in for over a month now about an abnormally increased infection rate in wild Pokemon, however due to the virus' benign nature scientists had ignored it. However, those same scientists are quickly coming to regret their decisions to neglect the virus, as Pokemon infected with it have begun to melt."

The reporter nodded his head, causing the camera to drop gently to the ground. The cameraman walked out from behind it, holding a glass jar which contained a yellow-ish mud-like liquid within it. It continuously moved, even after the cameraman had come to a stop next to Po.

"In this jar, we have captured a Pokemon which was in the process of melting. We say that these Pokemon are melting because, well… they melt." The reporter laughed anxiously, his eyes never leaving the jar. "These Pokemon start out like any other, but quickly turn into this liquid-like form and will, in fact, actually end up fusing together with other Pokemon which have been exposed to the virus, as well as others who have not. Some of these Pokemon have been puddling up around the region, waiting for their chance to latch on to an unsuspecting solid Pokemon or trainer. The Pokemon then fuses together in apparently whatever way it finds to be most comfortable. There are others, however, who have actively been searching out people and Pokemon to fuse with prior to turning into this form. Now... we're not sure exactly how long these symptoms have been active, but the first reported case was actually brought to us by the Elite Four as they fell back from the front lines."

The reporter's eyes quickly darted off to the side as he wrapped up his sentence. The man's eyes widened as he leaped forward, pushing the cameraman next to him to the ground. Po ran directly towards the camera, knocking it over as he passed it. As the camera fell to the ground, it picked up what appeared to be a Pokemon, though it was like none Jack had ever seen before. The monstrosity somewhat resembled a Nidoking, but seemed to be covered in the pelts of other Pokemon. However, as the figure drew closer, numerous autonomously moving eyes and mouths could be seen upon the Pokemon's body as it fell over in the direction of the cameraman.

"Reaea!" The Pokemon called out as it clawed its way closer to the man, causing him to scream out before being silenced. The jar which the man had been holding rolled out into the view of the camera, followed only seconds later by the abomination which had crashed the filming. The Pokemon - if it could even be called that at this point - reached out for the jar and broke it open with a needle covered fist. The yellow liquid quickly grabbed on to the hand which had freed it and began to inch up the monster's arm, all the way to its face. The monster lurched forward across the ground, screaming out with every inch that it gained. "Reaea! Reaea! Reeeaaaeaaaaa!" Eventually the monster's face came into view, and revealed that the Nidoking, which was the base of the fusion, was quickly being taken over by the newly added Pokemon. The Nidoking's face was covered in the yellow-ish liquid, before hardening into the tough outer shell of a Sandshrew.

As the grotesque fusion sequence ended, the broadcast cut back to the main reporter, Trish, whose face had gone completely white. The female reporter's hand was shaking over her mouth, and as her face moved back towards the camera, vomit spewed forth from between her fingers.

"I... I'm sorry." Chunks of whatever the woman had eaten earlier that day dripped from her chin as an aide slid into view and began to wipe the woman's face clean. Trish waved the man away, slightly shaking her head. "I have to finish," she whispered before straightening herself up. "The police have been putting out notices these past few days, warning residents of the cities surrounding Saffron to either stay in their homes or to flee South to Fuschia City. The police and military forces have banded together in a joint operation to tackle these mutated Pokemon, in hopes of eradicating it before the damage spreads too far. However, due to the manpower currently being delegated to the front against the Republic, it's uncertain just how much progress they'll make with these Pokerus mutations. I'm Trish Takaki, and I need to go clean myself up."

Jack's entire body was numb after having watched the entirety of what had just transpired. His gaze shakily fell to Surge, who was sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes sealed shut. The man's body was shaking and tears were running down his face.

"S-surge… I… what was that…"

"The truth." The leader shook his head and then took in a deep breath before opening his eyes again. "The Republic has something. Something dark and powerful. Something that nobody should have ever found, or created in the first place. Somehow, those monsters are transforming every single Pokemon which has refused to side with them into those abominations. It's happening all across the region, including on the front line. The first time that any of saw one of them was... it was... right before I'd been dismissed... it... well..."

The Lieutenant fell silent for a few seconds as tears fell from his eyes and his face twitched. Jack stared at the floor for a while, recalling the things which he'd seen before it all finally clicked together in his head. "Surge… oh my god… I'm so sorry, I didn't realize."

The man held out his hand and shook his head. "They were… they were my best friends… and they… I couldn't handle it any longer… I have nothing left anymore."

Jack walked slowly over to the Lieutenant and placed his hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "I understand. I really do. I've lost…" As Jack started to speak, Surge turned and buried his head into the boy's naked stomach. The man began to openly sob, allowing tears and snot to spew freely from both his nose and mouth as he'd given up on choking it all back. "We've all lost so much already." Jack placed his hands on the man's head and back, holding onto him tightly.

Several minutes passed before Surge had finally regained his composure. The man leaned his back against the wall, relaxing for what seemed like the first time in a very, very long time. The Lieutenant took several deep breaths, his eyes fixated on the ceiling as he triedt o control himself. "I think I need a cig. Would you… come outside with me?"

Jack looked down at Lappe, who nodded eagerly. It'd been almost two whole months now since they'd had their last smoke, and the thought of getting even a single puff off of one was intoxicating. "Sure thing."

Surge bobbed his head, smiling as he stood up. Lappe had already ran for the door, ready for both the fresh evening air and the promised cigarette. The Pokemon came to a halt as soon as it had opened the door however, and opted to simply stop and stare off to the North.

"It's… it's beautiful… but frightening…"

Surge nodded his head. "I know where you're coming from. It looks like a massive sun, just out of arm's reach. But you're right, it is frightening… it grew today… roughly two inches. I've been keeping measure ever since I first got to the front lines. Since the, it's nearly doubled in diameter."

Lappe turned to face Surge. The Pokemon's eyes widened and its mouth quivered, as if it wanted to say something. The Croconaw held its tongue, however, and waited patiently for Jack and Surge to come join it outside the building.

Jack walked through the front door and immediately looked off to the North as he shielded his eyes. It had been about three weeks since they'd last been outside after all. After Surge had boarded up the windows and left for the battlefield, Jack, Lappe and Eff all fell into their own rigorous training routine. They'd no idea what things were like outside, minus what the news had brought to them. Nothing prepared them for the reality of it though.

The Northern sky seemed to be completely consumed by a massive dome which pulsated with hews of purple and pink. Every building in the city had been closed down, their windows boarded up and signs out front stating their closure.

"Everyone's left already. Nobody wants to be stuck here once the dome takes the place over." Surge muttered to himself as he leaned up against the outside wall of the gym. "It's like this in almost every city now. Everyone's running, but to where, they don't know."

Jack slowly looked up to Surge, a puzzled look on his face. "Wait, if this dome is moving and growing at such a rate, then how in the hell did you expect to keep us here training for another month?"

The man chuckled lightly and then pulled a box of Abra 100's from his pants' pocket. "Here. Take some."

Jack looked slowly between the cigs and the man several times before finally accepting the bribe. The boy handed one of the cigs over to Lappe before lighting it for the one-armed Pokemon.

"Thanks, Jack, Surge." Lappe nodded his head and held the cigarette delicately between its thumb and middle finger. The Croconaw put the cig up to the side of its mouth and took a long, heavy drag on it before exhaling the smoke through its nose. "Aaahh, that's the good stuff."

Jack lit up the cigarette and took a couple of puffs on it before letting it flow out of his mouth. "Yeah. Just like what Mom used to buy."

Surge lit up his own cigarette, but didn't take any hits off of it. The three of them stood in relative silence for several minutes, with only their own breathing and the sound of the cherry crawling its way up their cigs with each puff to break it.

"Jack… Lappe… I know that I can't keep you here any longer." Surge pressed the cig up to his lips and took a hit, having let nearly half of it burn away before he'd actually even had a chance to smoke it. "I know what I said earlier, and I meant it. I need you to stay, but it's unrealistic of me. Your training isn't anywhere near complete, but with that dome closing in, it's only a matter of time. I'd like to say that I could keep you here and let you run around inside of it once it finally does hit us, but… the truth is, nobody knows what's really going on in there. That Pidgeot flies circles around the perimeter several times a day, but never leaves the safety of the dome while that Sableye General just keeps mocking us and throwing up defensive buffs at every point that we attack. We'll never make it through, I'm afraid. At this rate… it might just be better if you left for Johto while you still can."

Jack looked over to his teacher and then shook his head. "No. We have to make a stand here, in Kanto. We can't let them have it all, and we can't let them spread out to other regions."

Surge nodded his head knowingly. "Yeah, I figured as much." The man took another hit off of his cig and then tossed it to the ground beside him. "Here, let me give you something. I'd say that you could consider it a gift, but given who it's coming from that may be hard to fathom." The Lieutenant dug around in his pocket and then pulled free two pokeballs before holding them out towards Jack.

"What're these?" The boy grabbed both balls and then held them up to the light. One of the balls seemed to be holding a Pokemon already, but the other was completely empty. "A gift from… who?"

"Matt."

Jack nodded his head. "Should have figured. We haven't seen the old man since we took up residence at your place."

"Yeah, well… he took off with Garet so it's unlikely that you'll see him for a while."

"What's the deal with that guy anyways? Garet? I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd seen him on t.v. before."

"The Iron-Masked Marauder. He used to be a real high up guy in Team Rocket before they fell apart. Around the time that Giovanni was taken out by the legendary trainer Red, Garet led an attack on one of the Sevii islands in order to obtain some powerful Pokemon for the organization. When he got there, Lorelei confronted him. The two duked it out, but the woman beat the tar out of him. See, that was her home. And the Pokemon that they were trying to steal were ones that she'd raised on her own."

"So then… why did she marry him? It doesn't really make sense to me to be honest."

"Well… there's a lot to it… probably more than I should explain personally. Just let it be known that Lorelei changed his mind as well as his heart, and because of it they fell for each other. A lot of things happened back then that I'd… I'd rather just not remember."

"I… I understand." Jack couldn't help but wonder if something had gone on between Surge and Garet. Things had been tense between the two of them when Garet came riding in on that day, but he wasn't sure what it could have been. Perhaps it had something to do with Lorelei… whatever it was, now wasn't the time to worry about it. "Anyways, why did the old man go off with him?"

Surge shook his head. "That's just the way that he is. He's gone through a lot in his life, and there's much about him that I don't even know. Despite his behaviour, he's a good man. He gets in more than his fair share of trouble, and it's hard to defend him at times, but in the end he means well. He has a knack for being at the right place at the right time too so whatever he's off doing with Garet… well, I'm sure it's for the best."

Jack nodded his head. "And… these pokeballs?"

Surge turned to face the boy and took a knee, bringing himself almost to eye level with Jack. "I understand that you don't like the devices because of what they do, but just hear me out…"

"I'll do it." Eff slowly pushed open the door to the gym and stepped out into the middle of the two men.

"You don't even know what I'm about to say," Surge said, irritated.

"No, but I can guess. The old man gave Jack the ball I was put in to begin with. I'm a member of the Republic, through and through, it doesn't matter what happens between us. For now, I'm travelling with you so that I can get revenge on that Jackson boy. Since the ball is coming from Matt, I'll get in it. It'll just make things easier for all of us, right? I won't have to worry about anyone else trying to pick me off, and you won't have to worry about me running off to the dome."

Surge nodded his head. "Alright then. I'm glad you're so understanding."

Jack turned to face the Gurdurr and held out his hand with the empty pokeball. "I guess… whenever you're ready, bud."

Eff looked up at Jack and then back down at the ball. "I swear, if I start thinkin' funny 'cause of this…" The Pokemon tapped its hand against the center of the ball twice, causing it to first enlarge and then to capture it.

Jack looked down at the ball and smiled. The boy put Eff's ball into his pocket and then held the other pokeball up to the light. "So then, what about this one?"

Surge stood and took in a deep breath. "Well, it seems that the particular Pokemon in that ball is a family member of a high-ranking member of the Republic. However, the Pokemon's father has vowed that it'll withdraw its troops from the battle if this little guy is returned to it safely. Matt picked it up, obviously, so it's still like a wild Pokemon. The number of things that he's doing behind the scenes probably matches up or exceeds that of every other group we're trying to fight right now. That old man can be scary at times, especially if he's left unchecked."

Jack looked at the pokeball and then tapped its center button twice, releasing the Pokemon from its captivity. The Pokemon shot out in a beam of red light, revealing itself to be a Teddiursa.

"It's name is Sal. Doesn't speak our language, so try not to scare it too bad. Luckily, you've got Eff and Lappe so translating what you want to say shouldn't be too hard. Just… make sure the thing doesn't get hurt on your way, alright?"

Jack looked down at the tiny, scared looking bear and then up at Surge. "So you're letting us go off on an adventure, just like that?"

The leader nodded slowly. "Not much choice in the matter, is there? It's best you get going now, otherwise there's the possibility that you'll get caught up in the dome. With a Pokemon like Dialga on your side, it's hard to imagine that you'd run into much trouble. So much is happening already that it wouldn't be strange for more things to be going on below the surface. You should know one thing though. About the Pokerus fusions… they're all incredibly powerful, much more so than the sum of their parts. The police are running around, eliminating them as best they can with the aid of two members of the Elite Four. However, there are some fusions out there that just can't be touched as they are now. If you run into anything like this… promise me, Jack. Promise me that you'll run as fast as you can. There's no need for you to die on a pointless mission like this."

Jack nodded his head. "Don't be foolhardy and try not to die. Got it."

Surge nodded his head. "Well. Guess it's that time then. You'd best get going. I need to take the Pokemon that Eff and Lappe beat to the Pokemon Center and get them healed up so that… so that I can make… my… my final stand…" The gym leader's eyes started to gloss over as he turned to head back into the gym.

Jack reached out, grabbing Surge's arm as firmly as he could. "Hey. Don't you go dying on me, alright? Worst comes to worst, I'll meet you in Fuschia, alright?"

"Yeah, I hear you. Good luck, kid."

The Lieutenant disappeared into the building, never meeting the boy's eyes and leaving Jack alone with Lappe and Sal, the latter of which was now sitting on the ground with its eyes beginning to water.

Jack squatted down and inched closer to the Teddiursa, his face contorted with concern. "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong little guy? You upset?"

"T-t-t-teddiiiii!" The Pokemon cried out, tears now streaming down its face.

Jack put the Pokemon back on the ground and covered his mouth, wondering what to do. The boy looked down at Lappe, who simply averted the gaze. Jack scratched the top of his head as we wondered whether or not he should just put the Pokemon back in its ball.

"Jack, remember back when we first met?" Lappe sat on the ground across from the Teddiursa.

"Yeah, kinda. Why?" Jack thought back to their first meeting as he took a seat on the ground as well. "That was a long time ago, so some of it's kind of fuzzy for me, y'know?"

Lappe nodded his head. "In my eyes, you were just the same as Sal here."

Jack scoffed. "Was not! I'd never cry like that for no reason!"

"No reason? Really? As best as I can recall, you were so scared of me that you shat yourself crying."

Jack leaned forward, grabbing on to the tips of his shoes. "Is that right?" The boy looked around him, just to make sure nobody else had heard what Lappe had said.

The Croconaw nodded its head. "Your parents had found me out on the street and decided to bring me home. Your father said that when he was growing up he'd had a Totodile just like me so he thought it'd be perfect for you to have one too. Little did they know, right?"

Jack nodded his head. "Yeah…"

Both boys fell quiet for several seconds. They'd not talked about his father in quite some time. Every time the subject came up, it'd turn out the exact same. The two would fall deathly silent, trying their best to flush out the memories and find something new to talk about.

"I hate that son of a bitch."

Lappe looked up at Jack. "Yeah, I know."

"But I miss him… I wish I knew where he'd gone… maybe we could go to him for help now..." Jack's body moved as if he were laughing, but no sound came out. "Wishful thinking I suppose…"

Lappe nodded his head. "Hey, Sal stopped crying."

Jack looked up at the Teddiursa which was sitting there across from the both of them, quietly chewing on the pokeball which it had come out of. Tears were still trickling down from its eyes, but at least now it had stopped audibly crying.

"Why don't you try talking to it, Lappe? I certainly can't, since I don't know how to speak Pokemon."

The Croconaw nodded its head. "Yeah, I suppose I could give it a go." Lappe leaned forward and waved his hand in front of the Teddiursa's face. 'Ey. Whatcha up to? Chewin' on a ball are ya?'

Sal stared at Lappe with empty eyes and then looked up to Jack before dropping the pokeball from its mouth and reaching its arms out to the boy. 'Da.'

Lappe looked over at Jack and then back at Sal. 'That's not your Pa. That's my friend, Jack.'

'Da.'

Lappe rubbed the side of his mouth with his hand and then shook his head. "The kid thinks you're his dad."

Jack looked at Lappe, confusion written across his face. "That doesn't even make sense. Just a few seconds ago the thing was crying because I tried to pick it up."

Lappe shook his head. "That's what he's saying at least. Don't ask me."

Jack sighed and then rose to his feet. "Do we really have time for this?"

'Da. Da da. Da. Lav da.'

"Lav da?" Lappe shook his head and then looked up to Jack. "Lav da?"

"Lavender maybe? That's to the East. Y'know… Surge never told us where to take the kid, so maybe Sal just knows where to go already?"

"Sounds as good a lead as any." Lappe rose to his feet and then looked between Sal and Jack. "Well? You gonna pick him up?"

Jack shot a glance at Lappe and then over to Sal. "I guess it's worth a shot. If I can't carry him, maybe he can ride in my backpack like you used to do."

"That might be the best thing to start with to be honest. It's pretty cozy in there once you move all the junk around into a little makeshift bed."

"Tch. It seems like it's been forever since you've been small enough to fit in there."

"Yeah, I kinda miss it sometimes… but I wouldn't have been able to beat Kris if I hadn't evolved, so it's for the best."

"Is it really though? What about your arm and the shit we went through with each other after it?"

Lappe shrugged his shoulders. "All in the past now, I guess. I'm kind of used to the arm thing now. Besides, I might get it back when I evolve again. I don't know if those types of things fix themselves through that or not, but throughout time Pokemon have used evolution to heal other wounds so I don't see why it just outright couldn't."

"So you're staying hopeful then?"

"What other choice do I got? I made amends with it already. Now it's just like… if it happens, that'd be cool. But if not it's not like it'll ruin my day or anything."

Jack shook his head. "Hey, whatever you say man."

The boy held out his hands towards Sal, waiting for the Pokemon to climb into them at its leisure. Sal wobbly rose to its feet before falling back down. The Teddiursa rolled over and started crawling in the direction opposite of Jack and Lappe, softly calling out with every few feet that it gained.

'Da. Da. Da.'

"Well, guess that's just the way it is." Lappe shrugged his shoulders and then looked up at Jack. "We'll just have to follow behind until he gets tired otherwise he'll throw another fit."

"Is that what he said?"

"Eh, more or less. C'mon. We got shit to do."


End file.
